Destiny of One
by xTheDarkAgendax
Summary: A rookie trainer in the Kanto Region sets out to win championships, fight evil, and even make a few friends and enemies along the way. Chapter 19 is now up.
1. The Journey Begins!

**Chapter 1**

**The Journey Begins!**

Beginnings always seem to be the most difficult part of anything. Adjusting to changes in life is something that people usually do not enjoy. For a young man about to receive his Pokémon Trainer license, change was nothing new to him.

He was a teenage boy of average height and weight. There was nothing average about his hair length for his gender, as his long brown hair was touching the top of his back. He had bland brown eyes, a feature about himself that he never really enjoyed; however he knew that you had to be happy about your looks. He was wearing a pair of blue jeans, solid black shoes, and a tee-shirt. Over the shirt was a black zip-up hoodie that he had worn on many occasions before. On his back was a nice dark green backpack that his mother had bought for him at an outdoor store. In the backpack was just about everything he would need, minus his wallet, which he kept in his pocket for security.

Ron had been born in Saffron City, the largest city in the Kanto Region. Due to family problems, he and his mother moved from Saffron City, first to Cinnabar Island, then to Pallet Town, and finally to Pewter City. Within the course of six years, a young Ron was forced to move to different places and attend different schools four different times. The fact that he would be traveling as a Pokémon Trainer almost meant nothing to him, as he had done so many times before.

The Kanto League requires that new Pokémon Trainers must be at least 14 years of age, pass a physical examination to prove they are healthy enough to travel, and pass a written exam to determine whether or not they are prepared to last on their own for months on end. It wasn't much of a problem for Ron to fulfill these requirements, and only weeks after his 14th birthday he was traveling to Viridian City, where new trainers are registered for the Kanto League competition.

The Viridian City atmosphere was one that Ron found to be boring. Since he spent about eight years of his life in the biggest city in the entire region, Ron got tired of smaller city and town atmosphere. Either way, he knew that if he wanted to compete in any league, he would have to deal with less than desirable locations. It was not long before he came across a large building, the official Pokémon League headquarters of Viridian City. Ron had never been inside this building before, but his sister, who became a Pokémon Trainer two years before he did, got her license here.

He went through the sliding doors and into a large lobby. There were plenty of people sitting around, waiting for assistance. Ron, on the other hand, was allowed to go to a special desk where new trainers would be given their registration information. Only one other person was waiting in line to be helped. He was a boy that appeared to be around the same age as Ron. He was also wearing a pair of blue jeans, but his shoes were brown and instead of a hoodie, he was wearing a long-sleeved shirt. The shirt was black with a dark blue line going around the shirt about two thirds of the way up. This boy was also wearing a dark blue beanie on his head.

Ron tapped the boy on the shoulder, at this point he turned around. At first he seemed surprised that someone would be trying to make small talk with him, but after seeing Ron's smile he eased up a bit. He introduced himself.

"_Hey…uh…my name's Max. I'm from Pallet Town and as you can see, I'm just about to become a Pokémon Trainer. It's all very overwhelming."_

Reaching out his hand to shake, Ron also introduced himself to Max. As he did so, he couldn't help but notice that this boy was quite nervous talking to other people. Ron had once been like that, but he gradually got over it as he got older and began meeting new people on a daily basis.

"_My name's Ron. I was born in Saffron City, but after years of traveling, my mother and I landed in Pewter City. I'm about to become a trainer as well. I'm pretty pumped up about it actually."_

Just as he said this, a very conservatively dressed lady arrived behind the counter. She addressed Max quite politely, and after he explained why he was here, she asked him to follow her to the back room. Noticing Ron, she gestured for him to come along as well, as it would be easy to register two people at once.

They were led to a small room in the back which contained many computer screens and a small black table with paperwork scattered across the surface. She asked the boys their names, and once they were given, she reached to the top of a large pile of papers on the desk. She handed one of the papers to Ron, and the other to Max. Ron read over the paper, checking to make sure all of his personal information was correct. After confirming what was written, he handed the paper back to the lady. Max did the same.

The lady said, _"Well boys, it seems as though everything is in order. Since the Pokedex is no longer the standard Pokémon Trainer ID, we issue out license cards with all of your information on it. Those cards will be issued to you in a few minutes, but first we need to determine which Pokémon will be given to each of you."_

This was what Ron had been waiting for. He wasn't sure what Pokémon he would choose, but he knew that there were four standard Pokémon for beginner trainers. Those four Pokémon were Bulbasaur, Charmander, Squirtle, and Pikachu. Years ago, Pikachu had not been a choice, however due to its popularity; it had become a staple in the selection batch of starter Pokémon. It was indeed Pikachu that Ron preferred.

Each of the boys was handed a card with images of the four different starters on it. They were to take a pen and fill out the circle next to the image of the Pokémon that they would start their journey with. Ron marked the circle next to Pikachu, while Max marked the circle next to Charmander. After filling out their choices, the cards were run through a machine which scanned the circles, much like they would on a standardized test.

Once the computer was finished analyzing the data, two Pokeballs rolled down a small slide and into a bucket. One of the Pokeballs was marked with a lightning bolt, while the other was marked with a flame. The lady reached for the two Pokeballs, handing the lightning one to Ron and the fire one to Max. They were then led back to the main lobby, where their Trainer IDs were waiting for them.

In Ron's opinion, the ID card was pretty boring. It had a picture of himself that he had submitted to the Pokémon League office, along with his basic information, including full name, address, height, and weight. All he cared about was what the card allowed him to do, which was to train Pokémon for gym battles and eventually the Kanto League Championship. Next to the ID cards were two boxes. Each one of them contained five Pokeballs, which Ron and Max could use to catch new Pokémon to train. Ron put his in his backpack, while Max did the same with the ones that he received.

Making their way outside, Ron turned to Max. He then asked if he would like to travel with Ron, since the two of them were both beginner trainers. Max shrugged his shoulders, then admitted that he could use the company since he wasn't used to living on his own or anything like that. As then walked towards the Viridian Forest, a small bird flew past the two of them. The Pokémon in question had feathers of bright red on its wings and of a brown for the rest of its body.

Ron wondered why a Pokémon would be flying around the city. He figured that Pokémon had just the same rights as humans, and either way this particular part of town was a lot less like a city, since it was on the outskirts.

Max said to Ron, _"That Pokémon is Spearow. It's a small flying type Pokémon that attacks with its sharp beak and talons. Pikachu should be more than a match for it. Trying to catch this Pokémon would be an awesome first test for you!"_

Ron reached for the Pokeball at his belt that contained Pikachu, sending the Pokémon into the fray for the first time. Pikachu was a small yellow electric rodent. It had bright red cheeks that it drew its electric power from. It was no surprise that this was one of the most popular Pokémon ever.

Upon noticed the Pokémon Trainer opposing the Pokémon they had been pursuing, a large amount of the people left, realizing that the problem would be dealt with and that their possessions would most likely show up. However, a few remained to watch and see what happened.

Pikachu looked a bit confused, as it first looked at Spearow, then turned around to see Ron. Something about Ron reassured the small rodent that everything would be okay, but as the two were having a bit of a moment, the Spearow found an opportunity to attack, lunging its beak at the small Pokémon, knocking it down and causing a lot of pain.

"_You can't let Spearow get a cheap shot like that! Give it a taste of your Thundershock attack and see how it likes that."_

Pikachu nodded, reaching its stubby paws up to its bright red cheeks. Sparks began to fly from the body of this small Pokémon as Ron began to wonder where it stored all this energy. Pokémon were mysterious creatures, and that was one of the main reasons he had become a trainer. The blue- and white-colored energy sprang from the body of Ron's Pikachu, elevating until it scored a direct hit on Spearow.

An angry Spearow spread its wings and began to dive at Pikachu, who was somewhat recovering from attacking for the first time in its life. The bird's wings began to glow with a strange white energy unlike anything Ron had seen before. Max, however, noticed what it was almost right away.

"_That's a pretty rare attack called Steel Wing. I take it this Spearow must have inherited it from its parents, which isn't good for Pikachu right now. This could be one helluva catch for you Ron!"_

Ron shouted out for Pikachu to avoid the attack. Responding to the situation just in time, Pikachu managed to sidestep the attack in time for Spearow to harmlessly fly past the rodent. It was time for a counterattack with the only attack Ron could think of at the time.

"_Give it a Thundershock once more!"_

The attack had more of an effect on the already tired Spearow. It attempted to fly back into the air to strike again, but to no avail. It was now or never for Ron and this capture. Reaching for a Pokeball from his backpack, he hurled the small capsule at Spearow and hoped for the best.

Once inside the Pokeball, the weakened Spearow made one last attempt to escape. The Pokeball shook back and forth furiously for a few moments before all movement ceased. Spearow had been caught!

With Pokeball in hand, Ron stood victoriously. This was the first day of his Pokémon Trainer career, and there was no way he believed he could top this feeling…unless he won a championship of course.

After recalling his Pikachu back to its Pokeball, Ron and Max made their way into the mysterious Viridian Forest. They could see a figure up ahead, but they weren't exactly sure who…or what it was.


	2. Enter Vincent! The Rivalry Begins!

**Chapter 2**

**Enter Vincent! The Rivalry Begins!**

As the two trainers made their way toward the forest and the mysterious figure ahead, Ron couldn't help but wonder why Max had basically let Ron capture that wild Spearow. This was something he would ask Max once the current problem was solved. He had heard of shady-like individuals who would hang around city limits and attack unsuspecting travelers, but he tried to ignore those thoughts as they advanced.

When they got up close enough, they noticed that the figure was in fact that of a human being. This boy was a well-groomed male of about fifteen years of age. He had neatly pressed jeans on, along with clean, dirt-free shoes, and a solid red polo shirt. His hair was much shorter than Ron's, being that it was neatly trimmed and a sleek black color. There was something about this person that Ron didn't seem to like, and that was the slight smile on his face, showing a feeling of superiority.

Regardless of how the boy appeared, Ron decided to be personable to him. He approached the boy, reaching out his hand and introducing himself.

"_Hey, my name's Ron. I just became a Pokémon Trainer. Are you are?"_

Reaching out his own hand to shake the one of the young trainer facing him, the mysterious new face gave his own introduction. There was something about his voice that sounded condescending, but Ron again ignored this.

"_My name's Vincent. It just so happens I'm a Pokémon Trainer as well. Sure, I got a late start, but regardless I feel as though I can beat anyone. I have a superior education."_

Suddenly Max stepped into the conversation, interjecting into it his own opinion on the matter. It was then that Ron began to understand why he was given the opportunity to capture Spearow instead of his new friend.

"_Now wait just one minute! Just because you think you have the better education doesn't mean that you're better. I'll have you know that I graduated from the Pallet Town Trainer Academy at the top of my class, and before long I'll be one of the top Pokémon Researchers in the world."_

With that, Vincent let out a laugh that in time would become one of Ron's biggest annoyances. He then grabbed from his belt a Pokeball, which Ron assumed held the Pokémon that he would be using in a potential fight against either of the two trainers before him. Before Ron could challenge Vincent, Max stepped in and presented his own challenge to Vincent.

Instead of laughing, Vincent hurled out the Pokeball containing his Pokémon. It was obvious that Vincent had chosen Squirtle, the water-type Pokémon, as his starter. Ron knew this would be a difficult Pokémon for Max to defeat, as his starter was the fire-type Charmander. Squirtle was a small turtle Pokémon, with light blue skin and a shell that covered its entire back. Charmander was a orange-skinned lizard Pokémon, its most distinguishing feature being the small flame on the tip of its tail.

Ron could only watch as the events of this battle would unfold. If only he had challenged Vincent first, then maybe Pikachu could have dominated the water Pokémon with a Thundershock or too. Vincent gestured for Max to declare his first attack for the battle, and so it began.

"_Charmander, this is our first battle together, but we can do it. Charge at Squirtle and scratch at it with your claws!"_

Charmander rushed at Squirtle, its claws ready to strike. The Pokémon on the receiving end of this attack was more prepared. It easily avoided the blow, twisting its body to make room for the lizard to trip and fall. It was then that Squirtle was commanded to use a Water Gun attack on Charmander, so it reared back its neck, and then unleashed a jet stream of water at Charmander.

The attack dealt critical damage to Max's Pokémon. Although the attack managed to do major damage to the fire Pokémon, it managed to pull itself up and stare Squirtle straight in the eyes. It was then that Max decided he would fight water with fire, despite the obvious type disadvantage.

"_Give it all you've got Charmander. Let Squirtle have a taste of your flames!"_

Rearing back its neck like Squirtle did, Charmander built up fire in its throat before unleashing the wave of fire at Squirtle. The tiny turtle shaded its face from the flames, but regardless the attack did what it was intended to do, and that was to damage its foe. Max saw an opportunity to strike once more, so he ordered Charmander to claw at Squirtle.

While watching on the sidelines, Ron was beginning to realize what a Pokémon battle was all about. You had to be willing to give it all you had. He remembered watching a few battles back home, but since the powerful psychic Pokémon his father used happened to be extremely powerful, there was almost no reason for the opponent to even try a counterattack.

Lost in thought, Ron didn't even observe most of the struggle before him. Charmander and Squirtle were rolling on the dirt, clawing and biting at each other. Young Pokémon Trainers always seem to be the ones that lack any sort of strategy, as shown in this battle of rookies. Before long, both Pokémon passed out from exhaustion. The challenge ended in a tie, and Vincent was not very pleased by the outcome. As he returned his Pokémon, his disappointed was stated by only a few words.

"_I expect better of you Squirtle."_

On the other hand, Max could do nothing but commend his Pokémon for the amazing effort it put up, especially because of the type disadvantage that presented itself as a difficult wall to climb. After all, a tie was not losing. Before leaving, Vincent turned around to the two trainers.

"_You may have won this time, but trust me when I say that I'll train hard and when we meet again, it will be both of you that will lose."_

When Vincent was out of earshot, Ron turned to Max. He wanted a clear explanation as to why Max had become a Pokémon Trainer. When he asked about what had been said earlier about wanted to become a Pokémon Researcher, Max seemed to want to avoid the topic, but then decided to let his new friend know the truth.

"_Ever since I was a kid, I wanted to be just like the greatest Pokémon Researcher in Kanto, Professor Oak. I went to the Pallet Town Trainer Academy and studied under the Professor himself, gaining a lot of knowledge about the Pokémon World. It was after graduation that Professor Oak suggested that I become a Pokémon Trainer and travel the world in order to gain some hands-on learning about Pokémon."_

To this Ron replied, _"That would explain why you let me catch that Spearow then. You're not traveling the world to compete against gym leaders and to win championships, but to gain knowledge. Maybe I could learn a thing or two in the process."_

Max nodded to this statement, acknowledging that Ron had hit the nail on the head with his assumption. It was then that the two new friends took off in the opposite direction of their new rival Vincent, towards the vast and mysterious Viridian Forest. The forest was home to many different bug Pokémon, and unknown to them, there was a rare Pokémon that resided in the forest, one that would make itself known to the young trainers as perhaps the second test for Ron in his preparation for Pewter City Gym.

As they advanced through the forest, it became darker and darker, but not because the time of day. Although it was only about 2 o'clock in the afternoon, it felt as though it was the middle of the night. The trees blocked out the sun, except for a few parts of the sky where the sun peaked through, giving some light to the bugs of the forest. Max had Charmander remain outside of its Pokeball, as the flame on the tip of its tail helped to light the way forward.

On the dirt path ahead, there was a small worm-like Pokémon in their way. Although Ron did not recognize this wild Pokémon, the very educated Max did. It was Caterpie, the small, common bug Pokémon that inhabited the Viridian Forest. Ron could tell that Max was quite excited to see this Pokémon, as he started jumping up and down when he saw it.

Ron warned, _"You best calm down, otherwise you'll scare it off. If you want to catch it so badly, that shouldn't be much of a problem. Why do you want it anyway? Research?"_

To this Max replied, "_Caterpie is a fascinating Pokémon that evolves to Butterfree. I've wanted to study the evolution from worm-like creature to beautiful butterfly for a long time, and now's my chance." _He turned to Charmander and told his Pokémon, _"Be careful when you fight Caterpie, but claw at it and try to put the hurt on it. We need it weakened so I can capture it."_

Charmander nodded at Max, and then rushed towards Caterpie, ready to strike. Turning its head to see what was coming its way, all Caterpie could do was stare ahead in shock and fear. The claws of Charmander struck hard, causing the small worm to be flung into a nearby tree. Adding to the damage taken from the claws, the blow made Caterpie a perfect target for capture. Following what Ron had done before to capture Spearow, Max reached for one of the Pokeballs that he had been given earlier in the day. He hurled it at the weakened worm Pokémon, hoping for a capture.

Caterpie let out a weak cry as it was sucked into the Pokeball. Being that it was a weak Pokémon, it did not put up much of a fight before it gave in to being captured. Ron congratulated Max on the fine capture as Max approached the Pokeball, picking it up in his hand and holding it high in the air for all to see. He then put the Pokeball on his belt and the two trainers, along with Charmander, continued to walk down the dirt path.

The silence of the forest bothered Ron. He wondered where all the bug Pokémon were that apparently inhabited his current surroundings. Aside from the Caterpie that had been caught by Max, they had not seen a single Pokémon, much less heard one. This was all very confusing. Ron had hoped to have a shot at catching a bug Pokémon or two, but it seemed as though he would never get that chance.

Eventually they did see some bug Pokémon, and they seemed too terrified to even notice the two young trainers that were on the path. Among the Pokémon were Weedle, Caterpie, Venonat, and even a Scyther. If they had not been fleeing, Ron might have taken the chance at capturing one of the Pokémon, especially the Scyther. He asked Max what he thought they might be fleeing from.

"_Well Ron, it could be one of two things. It could be that people have attempted some sort of project in the forest, which has destroyed the homes of these fleeing Pokémon. It also could be that a Pokémon that most likely is not from this area has begun to live in the forest, disrupting the balance of nature. Either way, there's some outside influence on these events most likely."_

Ron never had been around someone like Max, a person who would analyze every single detail of every single thing. He wondered how this all played out in Max's mind when he was in a Pokémon battle, or when he was watching a battle. At the same time as he was pondering Max's mind, he also began to wonder what in the world was causing the Pokémon to behave this way. If it was humans, he would stop at nothing to stop them. If it was a Pokémon, he would, with the same determination, stop at nothing to capture that Pokémon.

It would seem as though they were close to encountering this mysterious threat, as they began to hear movement in the distance. Ron, Max, and Charmander braced themselves for what was ahead, and hoped for a good outcome themselves.


	3. Catch Bulbasaur! The Grass Starter Appea

**Chapter 3**

**Catch Bulbasaur! The Grass Starter Appears!**

The two trainers and the Charmander carefully approached what was up ahead. They saw that the noise was coming from behind a group of bushes off the beaten path. Ron's heart began to beat faster and faster, as he was increasingly nervous about what was ahead. Pushing the bushes aside, the two trainers walked towards what turned out to be a Pokémon, one that was pretty familiar to both trainers from earlier that day.

The Pokémon, who had skin that was a darker shade of blue and a large green bulb on its back, was resting on a pile of leaves and sticks that it had made into a makeshift bed that it could rest on. It was a real thing of mystery, as researchers in the Pokémon world debated all the time as to whether or not this Pokémon was a plant or animal.

Ron said, _"I don't need a Pokedex to tell me what that Pokémon is. Bulbasaur is one of the starter Pokémon offered to new trainers and we've seen a picture of one as recently as today."_

"_Yeah, but what is it doing out here in the middle of Viridian Forest? I thought Bulbasaur were so rare that they never appeared as common Pokémon in a place such as this," _replied Max hesitantly.

Ron gestured to Max, giving him the "okay" to attempt a capture of this rare Pokémon. After all, Max had given Ron a chance to catch Spearow, so it was only fair that he returned the favor. Max took kindly to the gesture, ordering Charmander to attack the unsuspecting Bulbasaur with an Ember attack.

The orange fire lizard rushed through the bushes and into the clearing, somehow it didn't light any of the forestry on fire in the process. As soon as got within range to attack, the Bulbasaur looked up and did not exactly look pleased to see the fire Pokémon standing above it, ready to strike. A vine appeared from somewhere inside the Pokémon's bulb, which reached high above Charmander and towards the branch of a nearby tree. Bulbasaur pulled itself up onto a large branch that could support its weight, causing Charmander's attack to simply burn away the pile of leaves and sticks that Bulbasaur had put together.

Bulbasaur seemed pretty mad, just as mad as Max and Charmander were worried. This Pokémon really seemed to be at an advantage, despite the fact that it was going up against a fire Pokémon. Max seemed to notice this pretty quickly, so he turned to Ron.

"_Look man, me and Charmander aren't gonna be able to put up a fight if all this Pokémon does it use the environment to its advantage. If Charmander could fly, then it would be a different story. You and Spearow should take over from here."_

Ron agreed, so he grabbed the Pokeball that contained his bird Pokémon and threw it up into the air. About five feet above Ron's head, the Pokeball burst open, and in a flash of white light, Spearow appeared flapping its wings and analyzing the situation. It quickly spotted Bulbasaur, and on Ron's command, flew up towards the grass Pokémon, furiously attacking with its beak.

With speed unlike anything either trainer had expected from the grass Pokémon, Bulbasaur was able to dodge the attacks sent its way. As Bulbasaur began to back into the trunk of the large tree it was standing on, it let loose another vine and pulled itself up to a higher branch on another nearby tree. Spearow and Ron did not catch onto this change in time, so Spearow ended up getting its beak stuck in the trunk of the tree.

Max cried out, _"Ron, your Pokémon is in a lot of trouble if you don't get it out of this situation soon. Look! That Bulbasaur is launching an attack as we speak!"_

He was right. Bulbasaur launched a stream of razor sharp leaves towards Spearow, who was stuck by the attack, the leaves cutting into its body like small knives. Perhaps the only good thing about this was that Spearow was free from the tree trunk. Weakened, the bird began to fall back towards the ground. Ron rushed ahead to catch his wounded Pokémon, recalling it back to its Pokeball for a good, long rest. While this was happening, the Bulbasaur took off into the forest.

Slapping himself on the forehead, Ron complained, _"We almost had it!"_

Max attempted to make his frustrated friend feel better. _"Don't worry Ron, I'm sure you'll have another chance to catch that Bulbasaur…or maybe some other Pokémon. You just have to be patient with this. We'll be more prepared next time, right?"_

Ron nodded, then took a glance at his watch. It was about 5 pm already, and he was getting pretty hungry at this point. It just occurred to him that he had not ate anything since he got Pikachu from the Pokémon League Headquarters and left Viridian City. Luckily he had food in his backpack; otherwise he would have been in danger of starving. Max seemed to be pretty hungry as well, because as soon as the word food was mentioned, Max set his backpack down on the ground and pulled out some dehydrated food packages for himself. Ron did the same, as these types of meals were the staple of anyone on the road.

Ron suggested, _"Maybe we should set up camp for the night. After eating, of course."_

"_Is all you think about eating? But you've made a good point about setting up camp. You do have a tent right?"_

To this, Ron replied, _"Of course I have a tent. It's one of those really compact tent models. So small, even, that I could fit it in the smallest section of my backpack. Here, I'll show you."_

He un-zipped the small section of his backpack, the one that was on the side. Ron pulled out a small, compact package from the backpack; one that itself was zipped up in a plastic casing. Taking it out of the casing, he followed the simple step-by-step instructions for assembling the tent, which involved folding the tent out, then making sure the poles were in place, firmly planted into the ground. Ron had gotten so caught up in setting up the tent that he had forgotten his plan to eat first.

When he remembered his initial plan, thanks to Max's good memory, he began to panic about the small clearing, frantically searching his backpack until he found a pile of small food packages. Selecting the one that said "Beef and Mashed Potatoes Meal," he pulled it out of his backpack and brought it to where Max was sitting on a stump with a similar package in his hand.

Max looked up at Ron, _"We're going to need a fire to get these things ready to eat, not to mention some fresh water. This is where something like Vincent's Squirtle would come in handy. None the less, I've got a few bottles of fresh water that we can use. When we get to Pewter City I can have the bottles filled up again for free! Good deal huh?"_

"_You bet! Now a fire shouldn't be that hard, should it? After all we do have a fire Pokémon with us."_

The two friends set up the fire, and with the help of Charmander, had a roaring fire going in no time at all. They managed to put a makeshift rack over the fire to sit the bowls on that contained their food, and they had two hot meals ready in less than ten minutes.

They could not forget their Pokémon, who they sent out of their Pokeballs so they could enjoy some packaged Pokémon food that they had both purchased prior to leaving their respective homes. Being resourceful, Ron's two Pokémon, Pikachu and Spearow, managed to find some fresh berries in the forest that were edible.

The meal was enjoyed by all, and after it was done, the Pokémon were recalled to their Pokeballs. The first thing they made sure they did was put out the fire, being only they could prevent a forest fire. Ron then helped Max in setting up his own tent, and then the two friends went into their own tents for the night, keeping their backpacks inside the tents with them, as they made decent pillows for them.

Morning came quickly, and when it did, Ron forced himself out of his tent. He was ready to greet the new day, but not as ready as Max was. His friend was already awake, preparing a breakfast. Ron noticed that Max had already packed his tent up in his backpack, which reminded him that he needed to do that himself. After doing so, he sat down on a rock next to Max, admiring the dehydrated breakfast in all its glory.

"_You must have been up all morning getting this ready," _exclaimed Ron.

Max shrugged his shoulders as if to say that it was nothing special, and then said, _"I've been awake for about an hour now. I would have to say that I'm quite the fast worker."_

Ron agreed, the insisted that their Pokémon should come out to eat again. After all, they would need their strength today if they were to encounter that wild Bulbasaur again. He had vowed not to allow that Bulbasaur to escape a second time, as he fully intended to capture it the next time it showed up around them. Max seemed to notice how anxious Ron had become, and after helping to clean up the mess they had made, he suggested that the two of them went off further into the forest.

"_Yeah, maybe that Bulbasaur is further into the forest, I mean, we can't be more than halfway through by now, so we've got a long way to go before it's too late to catch that Pokémon. It could really lend me a hand against the Pewter City Gym Leader Brock, he trains rock type Pokémon after all."_

"_You have to find a way to get it to stay and fight though. By the looks of things, if you give it a chance to escape like you did before, then there's no way you can catch that Bulbasaur," _said Max.

They continued along the path they had been yesterday for about two hours without any sign of that Bulbasaur they had tangled with the other day. Ron was beginning to feel nervous, considering that another trainer could have come along and captured the grass Pokémon before him. Just as he was about to forget about it and catch a Weedle or something, he saw the same Bulbasaur as before. It was standing in the middle of the path, blocking their way.

As Ron approached the wild Pokémon, it made no indication of fleeing from the trainer. He was a bit surprised at this, but regardless he continued to walk closer and closer to the Pokémon. It reached out its vine, and Ron shook it, just like if he was giving another human a handshake. Ron took this as a bit of a truce. He then looked down at the Bulbasaur and made a request.

"_Bulbasaur, how would you like to have another battle with me? A fair fight between just one of my Pokémon and yourself. I'd love to prove to you that I would be a good trainer, because a powerful Pokémon like you would make a great addition to my team."_

The Bulbasaur looked up at Ron, pondering what the trainer had just said. After a few moments of thinking the matter over, the grass Pokémon smiled and nodded at Ron. Bulbasaur knew the perfect place to have this battle, so Ron and Max followed the Pokémon to a clearing much like the one that they had battled in the other day. Ron took his place on one side of the clearing while Bulbasaur took its place on the other side.

"_Pikachu, it's up to you! Let's catch this Bulbasaur!"_

Ron cried out for his electric rodent to attack Bulbasaur with a burst of speed, using an attack called Quick Attack. Pikachu charged at Bulbasaur, picking up speed as it went along. A very visible white streak was following the rodent. Bulbasaur dug its feet into the ground, bracing itself for impact.

The two Pokémon collided into each other. Bulbasaur was more than a match for Pikachu physically, and was barely moved at all by the attack. It then used one of its vines to grab Pikachu, pick it up high into the air, and just as it was going to release Pikachu, Ron ordered his Pokémon to use a Thundershock. This was a trick he had learned by watching some of the famous Ash Ketchum's training videos when he was at home, and he had wanted to test it out in a real battle situation.

Since Bulbasaur was already in the process of throwing Pikachu into the ground, the initial shock from the attack was all that it felt. Since it was a grass type Pokémon, the electric attack Pikachu used did not do that much damage to its body. Ron's Pokémon, on the other hand, suffered some major damage from being slammed into the ground. Bulbasaur was not done yet, as it then charged at Pikachu, tackling into the small Pokémon and causing a lot of pain for it.

Ron pleaded, _"Pikachu, you have to hang in there! I know Bulbasaur is tough, but you need to show it that you're tougher."_

Giving a weak cry of _"Pika" _to Ron, the rodent pulled itself up, determined to win this fight somehow. Thinking quickly, Ron came up with a plan of attack. He ordered his Pokémon to use Thundershock on the Bulbasaur. Just as Ron had planned, when the attack was directed towards Bulbasaur, it used its vines to pull itself up onto a branch. Ron had noticed that the branches on the trees in this clearing where not as sturdy as those on the trees in the clearing where the first encounter took place.

Bulbasaur, now feeling safe, launched a stream of razor sharp leaves like it had done before to Ron's Spearow. Ron was prepared this time, as he ordered Pikachu to use Quick Attack. Instead of directing the attack at Bulbasaur, he ordered for the target to be the tree Bulbasaur was hiding in.

When Pikachu collided with the tree at high speed, it shook the tree from the bottom up. The vibrations caused the branch that Bulbasaur was standing on to crack and break from the tree. Because this was not expected, Bulbasaur did not have time to react. Crashing to the ground, the grass Pokémon took some heavy damage. Ron saw this as an opportunity to hit it with a Thundershock attack without the fear of it avoiding the attack. Pikachu let loose a fury of electrical energy. Bulbasaur saw the attack coming, but did not have a chance to react. Sparks continued to fly from its body even after the attack ceased.

"_Alright this is it! You're going to be mine Bulbasaur!"_

Ron tossed an empty Pokeball at the weakened Pokémon, who was taken into the Pokeball after being turned into a red energy. After putting up a fight while still in the Pokeball, the movement ceased and the light in the middle of the capsule device ceased to be lit. Bulbasaur was captured!

With a slight grin on his face, Ron walked over to the spot on the ground where the Pokeball was. He picked up the Pokémon container, stared at it, and thought of what he could say. He welcomed this new addition to his team quietly, then after returning Pikachu to its own Pokeball, he turned to Max.

"_Well that turned out well. It took two tries, but I actually caught that Bulbasaur. I guess now the only thing we have to do is head off to the Pewter City Gym. By the looks of things we should be able to reach the city by tonight, which would be good. I'd love to sleep in a real bed at the Pokémon Center."_

With Pewter City in the distance, Ron sets his sights on his first gym battle. Max, although he has not mentioned this, would like to visit the Ancient Pokémon display at the Pewter City Museum. From what he had heard in the news, fossil Pokémon had been studied at this location, and one of them was even revived recently! Keep reading to find out what adventures await these two friends next!


	4. Welcome to Pewter City!

**Chapter 4**

**Welcome to Pewter City!**

Ron and Max, exhausted from traveling all day, finally dragged their way to the city limits of Pewter City. The two young trainers had spent the night in the wild again, and were happy to reach civilization after two nights on the road. It was a huge relief to their tired bodies when they came across a sign that welcomed them to the city that Ron had lived for the past few years. Nothing had really changed, but since Ron had only been gone for a few days, that was not a surprise. Ron pushed towards the Pokémon Center, but regardless of this persistence, Max questioned why Ron did not want to go to his house.

Ron took a deep breath, _"Max…I became a trainer to get away from my family. It wouldn't do me any good to rush back to them after only a few days on my own. My parents aren't even living together anymore. It was just my mother and me living here, my father lives in Saffron City, while my sister Sabrina is well on her way to becoming a member of the Kanto Elite Four."_

"_I understand. We can avoid going to your house if that's what you really want. The Pokémon Center is not too far away anyway, and there our Pokémon can get some rest."_

This was Ron's first time in the Pokémon Center in Pewter City. Although he had passed it hundreds of times in his life, he really found no reason for him to go inside the building. It was meant for Pokémon Trainers, and he was only a few days removed from getting his training license. What better time than now to enter this large building for the first time? Walking through the convenient sliding doors of the center, the two trainers were greeted by a large lobby.

It was a very large building, certainly looking larger than it did from the outside. Straight ahead was the main desk of the Pokémon Center. To the left was a staircase that led to three different floors of rooms, while to the right there was a cafeteria where trainers could get discount meals, either to sit down and enjoy or to take on the road with them. They marched up the front desk, which had no line this early in the morning.

A smiling nurse greeted them. She was a Nurse Joy, one of the many that ran Pokémon Centers across the world. She had a clean white nurse outfit on, which was complimented by her bright, glowing hair. Ron had heard that the Joy family was loaded with Pokémon Nurses who all basically looked the same, though with different personalities.

"_Welcome to our Pokémon Center. How may I be of assistance you to this morning?"_

"_We were wondering if you would take care of our Pokémon," said Ron. _

_To this she replied, "I would be happy to. I'm sure they'll be back to fighting shape in no time at all!"_

They thanked the nurse and headed off to the far left of the desk, where trainers could sign up for one of the upstairs rooms. Ron and Max decided to sign up for a double occupancy room, just so they could give other trainers a chance to have a room that night if necessary. They took note of the fact that rooms could be rented that could hold up to four occupants. Once they were signed up, they were able to get a key that led to a small locker, which contained the access card for the room they had rented, which was on the third floor. It was then that they decided it would be a good idea to get some food. They just happened to run into their favorite new person when they walked into the cafeteria.

"_How in the hell did you get here so fast Vincent?" _

Turning to the person who shouted that, he replied, _"Well Ron, I don't waste my time doing things like sleeping in all morning. I sleep for 6 hours a night, and then press onward. I've been in Pewter City since last night, you see."_

"_Well then I challenge you to a Pokémon match right now," _said Ron.

Max then said, _"Maybe you should get something to eat first…and get your Pokémon back from Nurse Joy."_

As Ron and Max walked away from Vincent, all he could do was laugh. He believed he would be wasting his time having a battle with Ron, but he needed to warm his Pokémon up for his gym battle against Brock. After all, he still had some concern that he was not prepared for a trainer of Brock's caliber.

About a half hour after the initial confrontation between Ron and Vincent, the two trainers met outside of the Pokémon Center at a nearby practice battlefield. Ron had gotten his Pokémon back, knowing that they were well rested and definitely ready to take on Vincent's Pokémon. Ron offered to make the battle a best two out of three. Vincent took this offer head on, wanting to test the skill of all of his Pokémon to see how well they would fare in a full out battle.

"_I'll start out with my Spearow," _shouted Ron as he threw the Pokeball containing the bird Pokémon high into the air. It came out of the device in a flash of light, causing the Pokeball to fall down, not in Ron's hand, but on the ground about five feet away from him.

"_Wow Ron, Pokeballs don't work that way," _mocked Vincent as he sent out his own bird Pokémon, a Pidgey. This Pokémon was a bit more gentle and calm than a Spearow was, but none the less it was a capable fighter.

Giving the first order, Ron shouted, _"Fly straight at Pidgey and jab it with your beak a couple times!"_

In retaliation, Vincent cried out to his Pokémon, _"Evade the blow with Aerial Ace, then hit Spearow when you're behind it!"_

As Spearow was closing in on Pidgey, it suddenly charged at Spearow. The Pokémon braced for impact until Pidgey just vanished. A confused Spearow frantically searched for its opponent, who appeared behind the bird. Spearow suffered an unexpected blow, causing it to crash into the ground. Ron pleaded for his Pokémon to get up, and it did. Taking flight again, it attempted a Steel Wing attack, which struck Pidgey hard.

Vincent accused Ron of cheating. _"I thought your Pokémon was down for the count!"_

Ron shrugged his shoulders, _"Expect the unexpected." _He pointed at Pidgey. _"We won't make the same mistake. Finish off Pidgey with a blow from your beak!"_

The Pidgey was faster than Ron had expected. It rolled out of the way, causing Spearow's beak to get caught in the ground. It really needed to stop doing that, but it was because Ron always ordered it to charge in without thinking. Ron ordered another Steel Wing attack as soon as Spearow got its beak out of the ground, which was luckily soft. Vincent countered by ordering a Wing Attack from his Pidgey. Right before the Pokémon collided, Vincent changed the plan.

"_Switch to Aerial Ace again. We'll catch it off guard and end this!"_

"_It won't catch us off guard if we hear you yell about it. Do a flip in midair, try to time it right and we'll nail Pidgey from above with your wings."_

Ron's quick thinking saved him from suffering a loss. Pidgey was able to use its attack, but so was Spearow. Its glowing wings struck Pidgey hard enough to send it plummeting towards the ground, much like it had done to its opponent moments before. The bird tried to get itself back up, but regardless of how much Vincent pleaded, his Pokémon had lost. So much for Aerial Ace being impossible to evade…you just needed a plan.

"_Hmph. On to round two I suppose. I'll choose my Mankey for this round! Prepare for battle Mankey!"_

This monkey Pokémon had tan-colored fur and long arms and legs. By the looks of things, these legs were more than capable of dealing out some damage, which worried Ron. He recalled his Spearow to its Pokeball, reminding it how well it had done. Against the fighting type Pokémon Mankey, Ron opted to go with his Pikachu. Neither Pokémon had an advantage, but he felt as though Pikachu could shock Mankey into defeat.

Vincent got the first move this round, so he ordered Mankey to swipe at Pikachu with its sharp claws. Pikachu dodged constantly, although it was having a tough time keeping up with the monkey's incredible speed. When Ron ordered to strike back, Pikachu hardly had time to even shock Mankey a little bit before it hit Pikachu with what Vincent called a Karate Chop. The blow struck Pikachu straight on the head, while Mankey did not seem fazed at all by the slight shock, only a bit angry.

With a smirk on his face, Vincent said, _"Do you just want to forfeit this round now?" _When Ron shook his head, Vincent shrugged, _"I can't be held responsible for what happens to your Pokémon now. It's time for Seismic Toss, grab Pikachu, then slam it back down into the ground." _

"_Pikachu! Watch out!" _Ron warned his Pokémon, but there was nothing more he could do to stop Mankey from grabbing Pikachu. In one swift motion, Mankey flung itself, with Pikachu grabbed tight, into the air, performing a front flip like nothing Ron had seen before. At the peak of the jump, Mankey hurled the rodent towards the ground. Pikachu crashed hard into the soft dirt, making a small crater in the process. Without a doubt, his Pokémon had been taken out. To make things worse, it landed on its head.

"_Return Pikachu! You did you best buddy…I have no problem with how you did out there. Bulbasaur will avenge you." _Ron then sent out his newest capture, the grass type Pokémon named Bulbasaur. His rival seemed to be in shock, wondering how Ron caught such a rare Pokémon. Ron noticed this.

"_Maybe if you hadn't rushed through Viridian Forest, you would've had a chance to capture this Pokémon. Oh well, at least you can see it take you down!"_

To this, Vincent replied, _"We'll see about that. My final Pokémon will be Squirtle."_

Having already seem this Pokémon in combat, Ron was not was worried about what to expect. The tiny turtle had physical attacks such as Tackle that it could rely on, but it also knew attacks like Water Gun. Ron hoped for the sake of a good battle that Vincent knew that Squirtle's best attack would not most likely do anything to Bulbasaur, unless giving a Pokémon a nice bath was part of some crazy battle plan.

Ron gave the first order for the final round of this battle. _"Bulbasaur, use that leaf attack that I saw you use back in the forest."_

Max then reminded Ron of the attack's name. _"Ron! That leaf attack is called Razor Leaf attack! You're going to confuse your Pokémon if you don't know the names of attacks that it can use."_

That was a mistake Ron would never make again. While his Pokémon sat and was confused, Vincent ordered Squirtle to tackle into Bulbasaur. This was pretty painful for Bulbasaur, but it was able to handle the attack. Thanks to Max, it now knew what attack to use. It hurled razor-sharp leaves at Squirtle, much like it had done to Spearow in Ron's first encounter with the grass starter.

Squirtle shielded its eyes from the attack, but there was nothing else it could do. After all, throwing your body at another body is going to cause some pain for the attacker. The leaves cut into Squirtle, causing a lot of pain. Ron saw a time of opportunity, so he ordered Bulbasaur to tackle into Squirtle while it was occupied with pain. Sure, it was a cheap tactic, but at least he was not taunting his opponent to forfeit.

Vincent's Pokémon still had some fight left in it, so it pulled itself to its feet and prepared to spray a stream of water at Bulbasaur. Ron really saw no point in this, as the attack would do just about nothing due to type resistance. He had his Pokémon endure the blow, and as expected it did not faze Bulbasaur one bit. He wanted to ask Vincent if he was finished yet, but that would be rude.

Instead of being a smart ass in the middle of a battle, Ron ordered his Bulbasaur to end the fight once and for all. _"This ends now! Nail Squirtle with a super effective Vine Whip attack!"_ He turned to Max. _"See I do know some of the attack names!" _

Vines came from seemingly nowhere and smacked the water Pokémon opposite of Bulbasaur for some critical damage. With or without trying, Bulbasaur was really hitting Squirtle where it hurt. The turtle fell to one knee, struggling to maintain consciousness. This struggle was kept up for a few moments before exhaustion finally kicked in. Squirtle passed out, ending the battle.

Looking disgusted at his Pokémon's performance, Vincent recalled it back to the Pokeball he had sent it out of. After mumbling something under his breath to his Pokeball, he looked up at Ron.

"_That was a good battle, but I suggest you get that Pikachu looked at. It suffered some major damage in our fight, but don't blame me…I warned you."_

Neither Ron nor Max really had much to say to Vincent as he began walking away. They did not know it at the time, but their rival was heading off for the Pewter City Gym right after his Pokémon were rested up a bit. On the other hand, Ron had to wait. The battle at the gym would be three on three, and with Pikachu hurt like it was, there was no way he could use it in battle.

He and Max rushed into the Pokémon Center, almost running straight through the sliding doors because of how fast they were running. After waiting in line for a minute or two, they reached the front desk. Ron handed Nurse Joy his three Pokeballs, then told her what happened to Pikachu. After an examination of the damage, Nurse Joy gave her recommendation.

"_If I were you, I would leave Pikachu here overnight for observation. It appears that your Pokémon has suffered a minor concussion, but it should recover after some rest. After all, Pokémon are quick healers, much quicker than us humans. By tomorrow I can clear it for Pokémon battles again. In the meantime, why don't you go visit the Pokémon Museum. It's the only one of its kind in Kanto, and I hear they just discovered some fascinating things on fossil Pokémon."_

Ron found it hard to even try to keep his mind off his injured Pokémon, but Nurse Joy assured him that his Pokémon would be in the best of care. He knew that he needed Pikachu to be better for his gym battle, but it was about more than that. It was about his new friend being okay so they could go on more adventures together. He would go to the museum for the rest of the afternoon, then come back and check on Pikachu before he went to bed. This was the hardest part of his adventure so far, but he had confidence in the Pokémon Center.


	5. Team Rocket and the Museum!

**Chapter 5**

**Team Rocket and the Museum!**

Following a win against Vincent, Ron was forced to drop his Pikachu off at the Pokémon Center for an injury it suffered against a Mankey that Vincent used. It was recommended that he took some time to relax while his Pokémon recovered, so he and Max headed off in the direction of the Pewter City Museum, where a display featuring fossil Pokémon was being shown. And, according to a poster they read, the museum was open for free to trainers for this week only.

"_So not only do we get to check out this museum, but we get to do it for free?"_

Ron nodded at Max. He had heard news of this offer, but had forgotten in all the excitement of becoming a trainer. _"This is going to be awesome! I can't wait to see what they've discovered about ancient Pokémon species."_

They made their way to the north section of Pewter City, the location of the museum. It was not hard for them to spot this landmark attraction, as there were signs pointing them in the right direction the entire way there. When they actually reached the building, they saw that it was pretty large, but on the outside appeared to be dull. The exterior was made entirely of some sort of rock material, with a large sign over the door, with the title "Pewter City Museum" in large bold letters for all to see.

These doors, unlike other doors in the past, were not sliding doors. Instead, Ron opened the door to let Max in the museum, and then followed his friend up to front desk of the museum. A bored looking lady was sitting at the desk. When she noticed the two boys approaching her, she gave out a very audible sigh. She asked them what they needed, and Ron stated that they wanted to look around the museum. They showed her their licenses, which were like their tickets in. They went down the hallway to the left, which led right to the exhibits.

Turning to Max, Ron exclaimed, _"Can you believe our luck?! It would have cost both of us fifty Pokedollars to get in this place, but we got in for free!"_

"_This is pretty insane if I do say so myself. I don't think I'd be able to afford the number of trips I'd take to this place if given the chance. I take it you never went here either?" _inquired Max.

With a slight laugh, Ron nodded. He had never had a taste for art or history or any of that other stuff that a museum would have. Perhaps it would have been better if Ron had lived in Pallet Town, and Max traveled while growing up. The two young men seemed to be in situations that were better for the other, at least growing up.

There was not a hint of hesitation in their footsteps as they walked straight past many different exhibits and towards the display labeled "Ancient Pokémon." This was, without a doubt, the reason that they had wanted to visit the museum. It was not a surprise that there were at least three dozen other people in this large room. With so much about the ancient world of Pokémon to learn about, they had no idea where to start. When Max walked towards a display with protective glass around it, Ron instinctively followed, feeling that where Max was going was the best place to be at the given time.

To be honest, Ron was nervous that he would run into someone in the museum that would recognize him. Luckily, the exhibits were enough of a distraction for any people that might have known him. He, along with Max, observed the ancient Pokémon fossils. The two fossils featured in this particular display appeared to be shaped like a helix and dome. Not surprising, they were labeled the "Helix Fossil" and "Dome Fossil."

In excitement that could not be summed up easily, Max exclaimed, _"These are the remains of the Pokémon Omanyte and Kabuto. To be more specific, the helix shaped fossil is the remains of Omanyte, while the dome shaped fossil is the remains of Kabuto. I would love to see either of these Pokémon."_

Pointing at a sign next to the display, Ron explained, _"You might get your chance. It says here that a recent experiment on fossils has led to the revival of one of the discovered fossils. It also says that the Pokémon in question, Kabuto, is currently being trained by the Pewter City Gym Leader in order to gain an understanding of how this Pokémon might have fought against predators." _

As the two friends discussed the excitement of being able to battle against an ancient Pokémon, there was a large explosion off in the distance, but not too far away. Terrified museum visitors began to scatter in every possible direction towards an exit. Ron heard yelling, and then the sound of people running towards the room that he and Max were still standing in. Three men wearing black outfits with a red R across their chest rushed into the room. They did not seem pleased to see that two people had not left in fear of the danger that was sure to follow the dreaded Team Rocket.

The man in the middle shouted to the trainers that opposed them, _"You kids had better leave right now. We'll be forced to use…well, force. That is…if you don't leave now."_

"_Don't think we're afraid to hurt a couple of teenagers on our way to glory," _added the man to the left.

Clenching his fists tight, Ron braced himself for a fight. _"What is it that you want here anyway?"_

Again the man in the center addressed Ron and Max, but not before giving a great laugh. _"Not that it's any of your business, but we've been ordered by our boss to steal the fossils from this museum. The mighty Team Rocket has reasons for doing this that mere children could never understand!"_

Ron shrugged, showing his lack of concern for Team Rocket. He knew there was no reason to be frightened. The uniforms that the particular Rocket members were wearing signaled to him that they were Rocket Grunts, pretty much harmless to any trainer with half a brain and one Pokémon.

Holding out a Pokeball, Ron announced, _"I don't even have my strongest Pokémon with me right now, but I'll still take all of you down…easy!" _He opted to send out his Spearow, knowing that Rocket Grunts were often armed with poison type Pokémon. His small bird Pokémon burst onto the scene in a flash of light, prepared to defend the museum.

The middle Rocket decided he would be the one to go up against Ron, so he grabbed a Pokeball from his belt. As soon as his Pokémon came out of its Pokeball, Ron smelled a stench like no other. The Pokémon Ron would be facing was Grimer, a poison Pokémon that was no more than a purple pile of sludge with eyes and a mouth.

"_We got this Spearow. Jab at Grimer with your beak to start things off!"_

Spearow lunged at the sludge Pokémon, only to find itself stuck in the disgusting body of its poisonous opponent. While Ron pleaded with his Pokémon to break free, the Rocket ordered Grimer to smother the bird Pokémon. Trying to keep his cool, Ron ordered Spearow to try a Steel Wing attack. He just hoped his Pokémon could hear him.

The Rocket Grunt laughed at what he saw as a futile attempt at saving the bird Pokémon Spearow. _"Face it kid, your Pokémon is finished. But tell ya what, I won't kill it. That isn't Team Rocket's style. Instead, I'll take this Pokémon from you, considering it knowing Steel Wing is pretty rare."_

Maybe if the Rocket Grunt had been paying any attention to the fight, he would have noticed that a bright glow was coming from his Pokémon. It wasn't exactly from his Pokémon's body but from somewhere beneath the sludge. Suddenly, Ron's Pokémon emerged from underneath of Grimer, while the sludge Pokémon was splattered across the room. Without much difficultly, the Pokémon reformed itself. However, the blow it had suffered was enough to significantly wound Grimer, which gave Ron an opening for another attack.

"_I don't want you risking yourself in this fight Spearow. Return to your Pokeball." _Ron then turned to his friend Max. _"You mind helping me out buddy? I could really use the aid of your Charmander's fire attacks right about now."_

"_It would be my pleasure Ron." _He pulled Charmander's Pokeball from his belt and released the fire lizard in the fray. _"Charmander, finish off that Grimer with an Ember attack!"_

Orange flames spewed from the mouth of Charmander, unleashing a blaze upon the Grimer. As the flames began to touch the sludge Pokémon, its body began to boil somewhat. Max was almost too fascinated by this phenomenon to even pay attention to the battle, but it was over anyway. Grimer was knocked out cold.

As the frustrated Rocket Grunt recalled his fallen Pokémon back to its Pokeball, he stepped aside for the Rocket Grunt on his left. Clenching a Pokeball in his hand, he pointed the capsule at Ron and Max. He then threw the Pokeball out of his hand, causing it to land a few yards away from where he was standing. The Pokémon he sent out looked like the Pokeball it had come from. The only difference was this Pokémon was a bit bigger and happened to have eyes.

"_That Pokémon is Voltorb, it's an electric type," _informed Max.

"_Don't worry Max, I've got this one," _reassured Ron. Instead of sending his Spearow back into the fray, Ron decided to use his Bulbasaur against this mysterious Pokémon. He wished he had his Pikachu back, that way he would not have to rely on Max's Charmander in battles. He could have beaten that Grimer with one Thundershock after the damage Spearow had done.

Ron's newest Pokémon, the grass type Bulbasaur, braced itself for battle. The respect this Pokémon had for its trainer was unquestionable, as Ron had gained Bulbasaur's respect when they first came in contact with each other. Before Ron could get in a command, the Rocket Grunt ordered his Pokémon to charge up energy. As the orb Pokémon did so, it began to glow from within. Sparks flew from the body of the Voltorb as it gathered as much energy as it could hold.

"_This doesn't scare us one bit, right Bulbasaur?" _His Pokémon nodded. _"Give it a taste of your Razor Leaf attack!"_

Leaves flew towards Voltorb, but as the attacks were about to come in contact with the electric Pokémon, the attack was seemingly deflected by the energy building around Voltorb's body. This fight was going to be tough. Ron anticipated an offensive maneuver from Voltorb next, but then the unthinkable happened.

From the hallway, Ron could hear someone yell, _"We have you surrounded. Come out with your hands up and all Pokémon recalled to their Pokeballs."_

Not soon after Ron heard the orders from a mysterious person, half a dozen police officers rushed into the room with guns loaded and ready to shoot. When they noticed Ron and Max, then at the Pokémon in the museum battling each other, they seemed puzzled. They wondered why two kids would try going up against Team Rocket. Either way, once the Rocket Grunts were arrested, a person who looked like the head officer approached the two young trainers.

He was an older looking man, a man that had a look of concern on his face. Years in the police service had turned his hair grey and most likely aged him prematurely. He asked if Ron and Max were alright, and once he was assured that no one had been hurt, he seemed to be more relaxed.

"_You kids were really brave to hold those Rockets off while we got here. The lady working at the front desk was assaulted by these three criminals, and as soon as they rushed towards this room, she alerted the police force. If it wasn't for you, they might have run off with these rare fossils."_

Shrugging his shoulders, Ron said, _"It was nothing, really. Actually if you hadn't turned up when you did, we might have been in a bit of trouble. They were tough."_

Regardless of anything else Ron or Max could say, they had done a great thing for the people of Pewter City. Without much hassle, they were able to leave the museum and head off towards the Pokémon Center, where Ron would be able to check up on Pikachu. It was getting dark around the city by the time they came back, so it was no surprise that the center was quiet. Most trainers were settled in for the night, ready for another day of adventures. When Nurse Joy spotted Ron and Max in the lobby, she hurried right over to where they were.

"_It's a good thing you came. I wanted to tell you that your Pikachu is just fine. Tomorrow morning you will be free to take Pikachu back and battle alongside your friend in the gym battle I'm sure you have planned."_

Smiling, Ron said, _"That's the greatest news I could hear all day. I just got back from the museum, where I was attacked by a couple of Team Rocket members. All I want to do now is get a good meal and relax for tomorrow."_

And with that, the adventures of Ron and Max come to a close for the day. When they wake up in the morning, they will be reunited with Pikachu and head straight for the Pewter City Gym. Ron hopes to earn his first gym badge and of course, find out how Vincent did when he challenged the leader to a battle.


	6. Vs Kabuto! Pewter City Gym!

**Chapter 6**

**Vs Kabuto! Pewter City Gym!**

After a good night's sleep, Ron rushed out of bed. He did not even care if he woke up his friend Max, as today was a very important day in his Pokémon training career. Ron was heading off to the Pewter City gym as soon as he could, although he could not help but wonder if you needed to make an appointment for a gym battle. Before he could go to this battle of fate, he had to get Pikachu from Nurse Joy. He was anxious to see his electric rodent friend after it suffered a critical injury against Vincent's Mankey.

Nurse Joy had been expecting Ron first thing in the morning, so when the young trainer rushed to the front desk seven in the morning, it did not come as a shock at all. She handed him the Pokeball containing Pikachu, which Ron confirmed due to the lightning mark on the top half of the Pokeball. He released Pikachu from the capsule to get a look at his Pokémon after the injury.

"_It's so great to see you again buddy! I was so worried about you when you had gotten hurt against that Mankey. So, are you in the mood to fight a gym leader?" _said Ron excitedly.

His Pokémon happily nodded at him, clearly eager to get back into the fray to prove itself as a powerful Pokémon. Ron knew that Pikachu would have a tough time hurting Brock's rock-hard Pokémon, but he knew he had to give it his all if he wanted to earn this badge.

A sleepy Max made his way down the stairs to the lobby. He wondered where Ron had gone; when he woke up he was nowhere to be seen. Rubbing his eyes, he looked up at his friend, who looked a lot more awake than he did. _"How can you be so awake Ron? I'm a morning person myself, but I can't be awake till I eat. What's your secret this morning?"_

Grinning, Ron said, _"I've got a lot of adrenaline in me. This gym battle today is gonna be fantastic!"_

As eager as this young trainer was, he knew he had to get a good breakfast in him before he headed off towards the gym. From his previous knowledge of Pewter City, he knew how to reach the gym. All he had to do was head north from the Pokémon Center, then follow the path to the left to reach the Pewter City Gym. He had passed this building a few times since he and his mother moved to the city, often seeing trainers come and go from the gym. Max, who was still pretty exhausted from the events of the day before, followed Ron, dragging his feet the entire way there.

"_Don't worry Max, a good gym battle will get you awake in no time!" _assured Ron, his friend nodding slightly. Sure, caffeine is bad for you, but no one ever needed it more than Max right now.

It took about ten minutes for them to walk over to where the gym was. It would have taken longer, but Ron knew some shortcuts from when he lived here. He had not run into his mother yet, or anyone that knew him, but he knew it would be a matter of time before this happened. In the meantime, he had a gym battle to mentally prepare for. Ron had seen this gym countless times, but it still looked really plain. The exterior was literally made of stones, with an enormous wooden door that took the combined efforts of Ron and Max to open. It must have been a pain to open that every day.

They walked into an entrance lobby, which was pretty simple. There were a few benches for visitors to sit on, some of those lame plants you see in just about every office, and a front desk with no one there. Max noticed a button that read: _"Please press for service." _As soon as he pushed it, they heard someone running towards the lobby from a door to the left that they had not noticed before. Bursting onto the scene was none other than the Pewter City Gym Leader…Brock.

He appeared to have doubted anyone would show up this early for a gym battle, but since the gym was open from 6 am till 10 pm, there was nothing wrong with Ron and Max turning up when they did. He was a tall young man with brown hair that spiked up in every direction. He was wearing a black and orange short-sleeved jacket, which showed off his muscles, and a pair of olive green pants. Ron made note of three Pokeballs on the gym leader's belt.

"_Hello there. My name is Brock, and I'm the Pewter City Gym Leader. How can I help you today?" _he asked with a smile.

Ron replied, _"I was wondering if I could challenge this gym. I've been preparing for a few days for this battle, and would love the opportunity to prove myself to a league-certified gym leader. My name is Ron, by the way."_

"_And my name is Max," _chimed in Ron's friend.

Brock nodded at Ron and Max, gesturing for the trainers to follow him past the large double doors that he had come out of. He led them down a hallway, which had yet another door at the end of it. When they went through the door, they were greeted by a large, dirt covered field. Ron could make out the lines of a trainer box on each side, the boundaries of the field, and the Pokeball-like symbol in the middle. The scene was quite impressive.

Addressing a young man sitting on a folding chair on the far end of the room, Brock said, _"We've got ourselves a challenger named Ron, and he seems quite eager to get this show on the road. Are you all ready to referee this match Adam?"_

The young man in the black and white striped shirt and black pants eagerly jumped to his feet. Pulling a green and red flag from his pocket, he took his spot in the middle of the field, where he could see the entire battle. _"I'm ready to go whenever you two are," _stated Adam the referee.

Brock took his spot on the far left of the field; his flag color would be green. Ron then took his spot on the opposite side; his flag color would be red. Feeling a bit left out, Max took his spot on a bench on the wall closest to the door. As Ron braced himself for this battle, it felt as though a thousand Butterfree were flying around in his stomach. Although he felt prepared for this fight, he could not help but feel a tad bit nervous.

Adam stated the rules of the fight. _"This battle will be between the challenger Ron and the gym leader Brock. Each side will be allowed three Pokémon. Only the challenger is allowed to substitute Pokémon throughout the fight. There is no time limit. The match is over when one side's Pokémon are unable to battle. Are both trainers ready?"_

He waited until both trainers reached for a Pokeball from their belts and nodded towards the referee before he waved both flags in the air and cried out, "_Begin!"_

"_Let's get this started. Go Geodude!" _announced Brock.

Geodude was a small Pokémon that appeared to be made out of rocks. In fact, if it did not have eyes, a mouth, and arms, Ron would probably think this Pokémon was a rock. Either way, this was Brock's first Pokémon and most likely not his strongest. Ron would still have to be smart to take it down.

Ron shouted, _"You can do it Spearow!" _

Before issuing a command, Ron took notice of many large and small rocks that littered the field. These could be used to his advantage, but most likely Brock would be better suited to this environment. Ron would have to adapt quickly if he wanted to win.

He gave out his first order to his bird Pokémon. _"Jab at Geodude with your beak!"_

"_That won't do you any good! Curl up in a defensive stance now!" _said Brock.

Geodude curled its body up tightly, preparing for Spearow's strike. When the bird Pokémon came in contact with the rock-hard Pokémon, it seemed to do more damage to itself than to its opponent. Spearow was sputtering in the air, obviously dazed by the defense of Geodude.

"_Geodude, counter Peck by hurling one of those nearby rocks at Spearow!"_

The rock Pokémon was happy to oblige, picking up a large rock from the field and hurling it towards Ron's Spearow. The rookie trainer shouted out for his Pokémon to avoid the projectile, and without much problem, it did. Regardless, so far Ron was getting quite lucky. He would have to find a way to damage Geodude. And then it hit him…rock type Pokémon are weakened by attacked such as Steel Wing. And his Spearow knew Steel Wing!

"_We gotta go on the offensive if we want to win this round! Give Geodude a taste of your Steel Wing attack!"_

Brock seemed a bit surprised, but at the same time he kept his cool and ordered for Geodude to take a defensive approach yet again. This time, however, it was Geodude who seemed a bit damaged by this collision.

"_It's going to take more than that to take Geodude down! Throw another rock at Spearow!" _ordered Brock.

This rock was a bit smaller than the last one that had been thrown, which gave Ron an idea. _"Try to use your Steel Wing attack on that rock that's coming towards you!"_

With impressive agility, Spearow backed up, then immediately initiated a dive. Its wings glowing brightly, it collided into the rock, causing it to shatter. The bits and pieces of the rock rained down on Geodude, who had to shield itself from the rain-like occurrence. Ron saw this as a chance to finish the round. He ordered one last Steel Wing attack, which struck Geodude much harder than it had the first time. It fell backwards into one of the rocks remaining on the field; it appeared to be knocked out.

Adam waved a red flag up in the air, declaring, _"Geodude is unable to battle. This match goes to Spearow!"_

"_This isn't over yet," _warned Brock as he recalled Geodude to its Pokeball. He then sent out a much larger Pokémon. It was the rock snake, Onix. Ron had heard of this Pokémon before, but had never seen one this close up. The intimidating Pokémon was made up of many rocks that gradually got smaller as they worked their way down from head to tail.

"_Use Steel Wing on Onix!"_

"_Counter by hitting Spearow with your tail!"_

Spearow had absolutely no chance taking Onix on. As soon as the giant Pokémon's tail collided with the small bird, Spearow took a nosedive towards the ground, landing hard. Just a few moments into round two, Adam waved a green flag in the air, declaring Spearow unable to battle and Onix as the winner.

"_You're up next Bulbasaur! Make me proud!"_

The grass type Pokémon took the field, preparing to go up against the giant Pokémon that stood before it. Ron could see some fear in his Pokémon's eyes, but he knew that if they worked together they could bring the giant down.

"_Tackle into Bulbasaur!" _ordered Brock. His Pokémon lunged itself at Ron's Pokémon, who in defense wrapped its vines around the neck region of Onix's body. It propelled itself into the air, high above Onix, who crashed into the floor of the gym. When Bulbasaur reached the peak of its jump, Ron ordered for it to strike back.

"_Use a Razor Leaf attack on Onix. Hit it where it hurts!"_

To be honest, Ron had no idea "where it hurt," but regardless he was willing to give this order. He hoped Bulbasaur had a better idea of Onix's weak points. The razor sharp leaves struck the body of Onix, causing a lot of pain for the large rock snake. Unfortunately for Ron, Bulbasaur landed right on top of Onix as it fell. Brock had them right where he wanted them.

"_Onix, trap Bulbasaur by putting the squeeze on it! Let's end this now!"_

Bulbasaur was a tad bit hurt by the fall, so it did not have time to react to the large Pokémon wrapping itself around the grass Pokémon and squeezing tight. There was nowhere to run, and Onix was blocking any chance of Ron recalling Bulbasaur back to its Pokeball. When Onix pulled its foe closer to its face and unleashed a roar, Ron saw his chance to strike back! He ordered for his Pokémon to use a Sleep Powder attack right on Onix's face. A blue powder erupted from the bulb on Bulbasaur's back, which drifted towards the head of the rock snake. Onix's grip on Bulbasaur weakened as it drifted off into sleep. As the giant Pokémon crashed to the ground, Max almost fell off the bench he was sitting on.

Waving the red flag in the air once more, Adam declared Onix unable to continue fighting. Bulbasaur had won this battle, but now it had to face off against Brock's most powerful Pokémon. It was the Pokémon that Ron and Max had read about the gym leader obtaining as part of a research experiment. This Pokémon was Kabuto, the ancient Pokémon who had been lost for ages in what was thought to be extinction.

Ron could tell why the fossil of this Pokémon was nicknamed the Dome Fossil. The body of this ancient Pokémon was protected by a large dome-like structure on its back, which was brown in color. This Pokémon had many claw like appendages that it stood on, but what really made it stick out was the red glowing eyes that came from the darkness under the shell of this Pokémon.

"_How do you like my final Pokémon?" _asked Brock. _"I obtained this Pokémon partly for research, but recent changes to league regulations forced me to obtain a third Pokémon for gym battles. A friend of mine who trains rock Pokémon in the Sinnoh region recommended that I somehow obtained a fossil Pokémon, so when the opportunity came up, I jumped on it."_

Ron grinned, _"That was very kind of you, but I'm going to have to take this Kabuto down. Bulbasaur, use your Vine Whip attack on Kabuto!"_

"_Go into a defensive stance, and then prepare to counter by clawing at your attacker!"_

Vines struck the protective shell of the ancient Pokémon. The incredible defense of this Pokémon made it appear as though no damage was taken from these repeating blows. As soon as there appeared to be a pause in the attack, Kabuto moved towards Bulbasaur with more agility than Ron or his Pokémon had expected. Bulbasaur, who was already quite injured from its fight with Onix, quickly succumbed to the sharp claw's might.

Waving a green flag in the air, Adam stated, _"Bulbasaur is unable to battle. This match goes to Kabuto!"_

Recalling his Pokémon to its Pokeball, Ron could not help but feel a bit frustrated. Bulbasaur was his best shot at winning this fight, as his grass type Pokémon had a double type advantage over all of Brock's Pokémon. He was not sure how his Pikachu would win this for him, but then he remembered that Kabuto was part water type, not ground type. Instead of being at a disadvantage, Ron was at an advantage for this final match of the gym challenge. His yellow electric rodent took the field, prepared for an intense showdown.

He ordered a Thundershock from his Pokémon, hoping to end it then and there with a powerful attack. However, he underestimated the abilities of Kabuto, who used Mud Spot, launching a stream of mud that it gathered from the field. The two attacks collided, then fizzled and gave out.

"_Show of your speed with Quick Attack!"_

With blinding speed, Pikachu rushed towards Kabuto, leaving a trail of white light as it ran. It was not much of a surprise to Ron when Brock ordered his sturdy Pokémon to stay where it was. When Pikachu hit its target, it bounced back, vulnerable to a counter. Thinking quick enough to spare his Pokémon a humiliating defeat, Ron ordered Pikachu to roll out of the way of the incoming claws. Getting back up on its feet, Ron's Pikachu was prepared to fight till its last breath to win this badge.

"_Give Kabuto a taste of your electric power with a little Thundershock!"_

Holding its cheeks and generating energy, Pikachu prepared to unleash a stream of electric power at Kabuto. Brock quickly ordered Kabuto to stop this attack by clawing at Pikachu, but much to his displeasure, this left the underside of his Pokémon vulnerable. The electric power released from Pikachu's body shocked the most vulnerable part of Kabuto, dealing out massive damage to the ancient Pokémon. When the attack ended, Kabuto landed on its back.

After observing the gym leader's best Pokémon to insure that it truly was knocked out, the referee Adam waved the red flag in the air for the third and final time. _"Kabuto is unable to battle. The winner of this match is Pikachu. This battle goes to the challenger Ron!"_

Both trainers recalled their Pokémon to their Pokeballs, and then meet each other halfway across the field. Brock reached out his hand to Ron, offering congratulations to the young trainer for winning his first gym battle.

"_I'd like to thank you for teaching me more about Kabuto in that battle. I understand now why this Pokémon had that shell on its back. The actual body of this particular Pokémon is weak and vulnerable, giving it a need for a shell." _

Suddenly, Max burst into the conversation, _"Yeah! That was awesome. As a future Pokémon professor, I really appreciate the opportunity early on to study such a rare Pokémon in action. I hope this is only the beginning for me."_

"_Well if you want to research Pokémon, why not visit the Pewter City Museum?" _asked Brock.

To this, Max replied, _"Actually, Ron and I visited the museum yesterday. Not only that, but we were attacked by a few members of Team Rocket and held our own for a bit."_

"_Well that's really awesome, but I think we're getting a little off track, wouldn't you say? I actually need to present Ron with his gym badge now, because I'm sure he's quite eager to receive it."_

All three trainers laughed as Brock pulled out a new-looking badge case. He opened it to reveal eight slots for badges, but one of these was filled with a shiny grey badge. This must be the Boulder Badge, which is given by the Pewter City Gym.

"_Ron, it is with great pleasure that I present to you the Boulder Badge, a symbol that you defeated me in this gym today. You'll notice that it comes in a badge case because I believe this is your first gym battle. Am I correct?" _After Ron nodded, Brock continued to address the young trainer. _"Well I'm sure that you'll continue to improve in the future. The next gym you'd want to visit is the Cerulean City gym, which is to the east of Pewter City."_

Ron and Max thanked the gym leader and his referee before leaving the gym to head off for their next adventure. Of course, they planned on staying one last night in Pewter City so they would be fully rested for their journey ahead. The trail to Cerulean City was a long and winding one, but they knew with a bit of hard work they would make it through just fine.


	7. Adventures at Mt Moon!

**Chapter 7**

**Adventures at Mt. Moon**

Following Ron's impressive victory over the Pewter City gym, he and Max decided it was best if they visited Ron's house. Reluctantly, Ron agreed with Max when he said that it would be best if Ron said goodbye before traveling across the world to train Pokémon. It did not take that long to reach Ron's old house, since it was only a mile or so from the Pokémon Center they had been staying at. Ron led the way up towards the front door of his mother's plain blue house, complete with white shutters and roof.

Upon the white, wooden door was a hastily written note. Having lived with the woman his entire life, Ron knew right away this was his mother's handwriting. He pulled the note off the door and closer to his face so he could read the small writing.

"_I'm not here right now, nor will I be here over the next few weeks. Currently, I'm spending time with a new man in my life. If you have an important message for me, please call the house number (which you would have if what you had to say was important) and leave a voicemail. I will return your call when I can."_

As Ron read this note, his hands began to shake. His mother had another man in her life? It should not have come as a surprise to Ron, as she was still pretty young. Either way, this was sure to make things even more awkward than they already were. His parent's separation had a huge effect on a young Ron, even today he was feeling the effect of the events that unfolded when he was almost too young to understand, but too old to think it was his fault.

Max could not find anything to say to Ron, so he just watched as his friend crumbled up the note left on the door. He then followed Ron away from the house and towards the city gate to the east. He understood that Ron wanted to leave all of this behind him, and was supporting him all the way in this endeavor. They were to travel through the passages of Mt. Moon, which would leave them right near Cerulean City, the place of Ron's second gym battle.

"_Hey Ron," _stated Max, _"We never did find out how Vincent did in his gym battle."_ He was obviously trying to get Ron to stop thinking about that little note left on the door.

Ron, who had been walking while staring at the ground, looked up with a slight smile on his face. _"Well, we didn't see his sorry ass around the city, so I'm assuming he won just as well as I did. That bastard is probably in Cerulean City while we speak."_

He never was accustomed to cursing like this, but being frustrated brought the worst out of Ron. Realizing he needed to calm down, he took a deep breath and tried to look optimistically at the future. He was heading off to a gym that specialized in water Pokémon. Two of his Pokémon had a type advantage against water Pokémon, and he was pretty sure Spearow could hold its own in a battle with no advantage on either side.

They had decided to leave early in the morning, so that explained why there were no trainers hovering around the path to the mountain. Ron liked it this way, as he was not in the mood for a battle at the time. As they came upon the mountain, it overshadowed them greatly. Such a sight would intimidate an average person, but they were Pokémon trainers. Instead of fearing the unknown, they decided to take a rest under the shade of the mountain before entering the dark passages.

"_Pikachu, Spearow, Bulbasaur…come on out!"_ shouted Ron as he hurled three Pokeballs into the air, releasing his Pokémon into the world. Max did the same, sending his Charmander and Caterpie out of their Pokeballs.

As most of the Pokémon took the time to stretch their limbs and unwind a bit before the long trip, Caterpie stood oddly still. Max began to get close to his Pokémon, wondering what was wrong, when suddenly it began to shoot a white web of sorts into the air, which rained down and created a protective shield around the worm Pokémon. Excitedly pulling a notebook out from his back pocket, Max began to take notes of this phenomenon. Ron did not know it at the time, but Caterpie was evolving.

When the string stopped covering Caterpie, Ron was shocked to find out that it was not the green little worm that was looking up at the world, but a strange cocoon-like Pokémon. It was still green, with two large eyes on each side its body. However, this Pokémon did not look like it could move…at all. All of the trainers other Pokémon gathered around in amazement, shouting out congratulations towards the newly evolved Pokémon in their many languages.

Beaming, Max shouted out, _"Yes! My Caterpie evolved to Metapod!" _

"_You did a good job to evolve a Pokémon without putting it through any battles," _stated Ron as he slapped his friend on the back. _"But I guess Pokémon can sometimes evolve through nature, not battle?"_

"_I believe so. This will work nicely for my research paper on evolution that I plan on completing during these travels." _He paused for a moment before looking into the distance, then pointed, saying, _"By the way, there's the entrance we've been looking for."_

"_Don't you think we should wait until we get something to eat?" _asked Ron.

Max agreed, and the two friends worked together to make a fire to prepare their food with. It never was that difficult to start a fire, thanks to Charmander and its fire attacks. Before long, they had prepared stew for themselves and opened packages of Pokémon food for their non-human friends. Once they had finished with their meal, they cleaned up where they had been, following the "Leave No Trace" principals set down by past Pokémon trainers and travelers alike. Their Pokémon were recalled to their Pokeballs and the two trainers headed off into the cave.

Ron thought that a cave would be a bit darker than this, but natural light seeped in through holes in the ceiling. They did not have that much trouble navigating the cave. According to a map that Max had, they needed to look for a ladder that would take them to the lower level. The lower level would then lead them to the other side of the cave, up another ladder. It would only be a matter of hours after that they would reach the exit.

Along the way through the Pewter City side of the cave, they noticed some wild Pokémon. Ron pointed out a few wild Geodude, much like the one that he had battled against the other day. There were a lot of blue bats with large gapping mouths flying around the cave, which Max identified as Zubats. Ron considered capturing one of these flying Pokémon, but then decided against it when he noticed how fast they were moving in a group. Surely if he attacked one, the rest would attack as well.

"_Hey Max, is that the ladder we're looking for?" _asked Ron as he pointed out a sign that was labeled "Ladder" right next to a hole in the cave floor.

Wanting to be sure he was correct, Max moved closer to the hole and discovered a small metal, rusty ladder that led to the lower portion of the cave. This lower portion connected the Pewter City side of the cave with the Cerulean City side of the cave.

"_Why don't you go first?" _insisted Max, obviously not trusting the stability of the ladder that had probably been installed in the cave a century ago.

Ron nervously proceeded to climb down the ladder, hoping that the added weight of his backpack did not lead to an accident involving the ladder. He practically held his breath the entire descent, not exhaling until he felt his feet touch solid, damp cave ground. Shouting out to Max that it was safe, Ron heard his voice echo off into the distance. He did not think it mattered, as he believed the only other people in the cave would be travelers like himself and Max.

Once Max reached the bottom of the ladder, he walked down the long winding passage with Ron. They had believed this passage was going to be short, but they happened to be wrong. It took a solid twenty five minutes of walking to reach the ladder on the other side.

"_Well would you look at that?! This ladder is just as old and rusty as the last one! Knowing my luck, this one will break when I'm halfway up it."_

"_Oh relax Ron, if that last one held, then I'm sure this one will do just as well. You worry too much."_

"_It's odd to hear you say that, since you were the one who was too chicken to climb down the last one."_

And with that, the argument ended. Not because the two trainers had run out of clever comebacks, but because they heard an explosion from somewhere beyond the hole in the cave portion above them. Although Ron and Max did not know it at the time, there were Team Rocket members working in a chamber of the cave up ahead, trying to find the legendary Moon Stones that were said to have been found right here in the mountatin.

Max decided to be the first one to climb the ladder, just to prove he was not a chicken or any other animal that you would name a coward. Ron then followed him up, arriving in the Cerulean City portion of the cave within a few minutes of ladder climbing that felt like an eternity. They made their way down the passage again, curious to see what the explosion was that had scared away all the wild Pokémon that most likely had been on this side, much like on the side they had just come from.

"_Hey Max, are those ceiling lanterns up there?"_ Ron pointed to small light fixtures that were strung together near the top of the cave. This confirmed their unsaid belief that something strange was happening in this cave.

"_Isn't it typical for something like this to happen when we're passing through? We couldn't have a normal trip to the museum, and now we can't even go through a cave without something happening," _complained Max.

Ron slapped his hand on his forehead. _"It's hard to call something typical when it only happens once…well most likely twice."_

Max had to agree with this logic, following Ron down the passageway and hoping that whatever was around the bend, it was something they could handle with ease. He peered around the corner, terrified at what he saw. There were Rocket Grunts, at least two dozen of them, working in some hole that had been dug in the middle of this otherwise empty chamber.

He whispered to Ron, _"How are we supposed to get around them? There's way too many of them for us to battle, and the only way through this cave towards Cerulean City is beyond this stupid chamber."_

Ron would have enjoyed having some clever plan right now that might have gotten them past all the criminals that inhabited the nearby room, but he have no clue how they would pull this off. The only thing close to a plan that he thought of was frantically running through the room, hoping that they would be ignored or not noticed. But yeah…that would never happen, would it?

As he pondered what they could do, he thought that he saw a shadowy figure moving on the other side of the chamber. Whoever this person was, they most likely had the same problem that Ron and Max had. They needed to get through this chamber without pissing off two dozen Rocket Grunts, most likely led by a Rocket Executive or two.

"_Ron, what's that Pokémon over there? Can you see anything?"_

Max was referring to a small, puffy pink Pokémon that was creeping along the side of the chamber walls. It was most likely commanded by the figure that Ron had noticed moments before in the passageway on the other side of this chamber. Without any warning, the puffy Pokémon opened its mouth and began to sing in a bit of an eerie voice. This voice echoed through the chamber and was heard by everyone in the room. Ron could slight make out the word "Jigglypuff" being sung by what he believed must be a Pokémon…a Pokémon that had to be named Jigglypuff. Ron liked his logic here, as Pokémon were capable of saying their name and only their name.

As the lullaby traveled into the passageway Ron and Max were hiding in, they began to feel a bit sleepy. Because they were distracted by their own sudden exhaustion, they paid no attention to the fact that the Team Rocket members in the other room had collapsed.

As he drifted off into sleep, Max said, _"Whoever owns that Jigglypuff might be on our…"_

He obviously meant to add the word "side" to the end of that sentence, but he never got the chance. Both Ron and Max gave in to their exhaustion soon after hearing the mysterious Pokémon sing. Along with the Team Rocket members that had been knocked out cold by the song, two trainers who had nothing to do with Team Rocket also suffered the same fate thanks to the Pokémon's song.

Only a few minutes after falling asleep, Ron was woken up by a sharp pain on his face. Something or someone had slapped him hard on his face in an obvious attempt to wake him up. He had fallen asleep on the cold, damp floor of the cave, which was not exactly his idea of a perfect sleeping place. Pulling himself off the ground, he turned over to Max, who had also been woken up and left with red marks on his face.

"_Man…that was really weird. I hope those Rockets are still sleeping," _wished Max as he rubbed his eyes. He then climbed to his feet and peered back around the corner, relieved that the real villains had been kept asleep by whoever saved them.

Before the two friends walked safety through the chamber and into the passageway beyond it, they looked around for any sign of the person that had saved them. However, they were unable to find anything. They were both quite disappointed by this, as they had hoped they would be able to thank this mysterious Pokémon Trainer. Regardless, they were grateful that they would be safe from Team Rocket. Sure, they were Pokémon Trainers, but not Pokémon Trainers strong enough to take on that many enemies at once.

They did not speak a word until they were out of the chamber and at least approximately fifty yards down the passageway and away from the danger that they left behind. It was Ron that spoke the first words, expressing his happiness at their luck.

"_I thought were goners before that Jigglypuff trainer showed up. Maybe one day we'll run into them again and be able to thank them. In fact, I'd like to have a battle against a Pokémon like that."_

They continued this conversation as they made their way towards yet another ladder. However, there was a sign next to this ladder that read: "Exit." The best part about this ladder was not the sign next to it, but the fact that it looked like it was installed within the last decade. The two trainers happily made their way towards the surface, expecting the sun to greet them. However, it was night that awaited them on their return to the outside world.

"_Talk about a mood-ruining moment," _complained Max. _"Now we have to travel in the dark to make it to Cerulean City. Knowing our luck, all the rooms will be booked at the Pokémon Center."_

Ron silenced this complaining pretty quickly. Sure, there was a chance all the rooms were filled, but that was the least of their worries. Wild Pokémon could attack them while they were vulnerable, so they had to press onward. It just so happened that it only was about a mile till Cerulean City, and in no time they were greeted by a quiet city. After a bit of wandering on the dark streets, they found the welcoming red roof of the Pokémon Center. They walked through the sliding doors and towards the room registration desk.

"_Look at that Max. It turns out they still had plenty of rooms for the night. I'll sign us up for a room on the second floor so we don't have to do that much walking. I'm exhausted."_

"_Yeah tell me about it. I wouldn't even need Jigglypuff to sing right now to help me sleep, give me a bed and I'll collapse on it right now."_

And so they proceeded up the stairs, leaving the quiet lobby behind. Quickly finding their room, they each went to one of the beds that were on either side of the room. The placed their backpacks and Pokebelts on the ground next to their beds, then drifted off into sleep, dreaming about the adventures they would have tomorrow.


	8. Across the Nugget Bridge!

**Chapter 8**

**Across the Nugget Bridge!**

Ron rolled right out of bed, excited for a new day of adventure and more importantly a new day of gym battles. Did he think he was rushing? A bit, but that would not stop him from going all out and trying to earn two badges over the course of a handful of days. This morning it was Max who got up first, which explained why Ron did not see his friend when he rubbed the sleep out of his eyes.

After getting his stuff together from his room, he made his way down into the lobby, then across into the dining hall, where he found Max. His hair was sticking up, showing that he obviously did not take the time to groom himself in the morning. Feeling like a smartass, he suggested that his friend try wearing a hat or trying a new invention called the comb. Ron was glad Max found his humor to be amusing; otherwise he would not have been surprised if Max reached over and choked him.

"_So Ron, are you all ready for your big battle today?" _asked Max.

"_I'm as ready as I'll ever be. At least with this gym leader I have not one, but two Pokémon with type advantages."_

Sure, he had the type advantage. He sounded confident about this out loud, but deep down he knew that types did not always determine the outcome of battles. After all, he was the one who found a way to conquer this Spearow's disadvantage against the rock-hard Pokémon of the Pewter City gym.

The two trainers went in line to get some pancakes, bacon, sausage, and orange juice, among other things. Once they settled down at their table they began to eat. It was then that Ron could not help but hear a group of young kids talk loudly at the table next to them. He was not too high on eavesdropping, but these kids practically were making their conversation public.

The loudest boy, who looked to be about ten years old, said, _"Did you hear what happened at the Cerulean City gym?"_

Another boy, this one looking to be a bit younger than the loud boy, replied, _"No, I didn't. What's up?"_

The loud boy continued, acting as though no one else was around. _"Well I'll tell you what happened. Some rookie trainer named Vincent came along to challenge Misty. The fight started out pretty typical, a three on three fight. When it came down to Misty's last Pokémon, her Golduck, it just wouldn't listen to a thing she said. In the end, she had to forfeit and just give that Vincent kid the badge."_

The younger child asked, _"So that's why the gym shut down then?"_

The older boy nodded, saying something about how Misty had gone missing earlier in the morning. The gym was shut down until further notice, which would hold up any trainers that had come to the city for a battle. This left Ron a bit disappointed, but at the same time it gave him a chance to prepare more. He and Max finished their meal, then headed outside of the Pokémon Center, looking for somewhere to train.

"_There's always Nugget Bridge," _suggested Max, _"There are always trainers there looking for a challenge."_

"_You know? That ain't a bad idea. I face a few trainers there, maybe visit Cerulean Cape. By then I'm sure Misty will gain her confidence back and be really for a gym challenge!"_

Encouraged by Ron's optimism, the two trainers made their way to Nugget Bridge. The landmark they were looking for happened to be a short walk from the Pokémon Center. This bridge was about twenty feet wide, with a sturdy enough support system to allow trainers to have Pokémon battles on their way to the other side. From Max's understanding, there was usually four or five trainers on this bridge. That would give Ron a great variety of experience to prepare himself for upcoming league-certified matches.

Ron and Max made their way across the bridge, looking for the first trainer. It did not take long at all, as they spotted a young boy. He had brown hair covered by a red hat, a red t-shirt on, and shorts. He was pretty young, maybe not even old enough to really have a Pokémon of his own. That did not stop him from challenging Ron to a battle.

"_If you want to pass this point, you have to beat me in a battle!" _said the boy in a high-pitched voice as he threw a Pokeball in Ron's direction. Out came a bat Pokémon called Zubat, the very same blue bat Pokémon that Ron and Max had seen at Mt. Moon.

Ron turned to Max, laughing. He said, _"Well this makes up for the fact that we never got attacked by one of those things when we were out in the wild, eh?"_

The youngster did not find this too funny. He wanted a battle, not small talk between his opponent and his opponent's friend. When Ron noticed how he was making this kid feel, he grabbed a Pokeball from his belt that contained his Pikachu. His electric rodent Pokémon took the field, prepared to take on the bat Pokémon with ease.

"_Zubat, bite that Pikachu right on the head!"_

Ron did nothing to stop this. He had Pikachu stay right where it was until the Zubat was a moment away from coming in contact with his Pokémon. Then he shouted, _"Hit it with a Thundershock as soon as it touches you!"_

Electricity traveled from Pikachu's body right into that of Zubat's, like if the rodent was transferring blood to the bat Pokémon. That would be ironic though, since Zubat drinks blood. Either way, the shock caused quite a lot of pain for Pikachu's opponent, especially at close range. Ron figured that this Zubat was not trained very well, as it went down in one hit.

"_You got any more Pokémon left? I could use another fight," _said Ron.

The boy almost took offense to this as he recalled his defeated Pokémon back to its Pokeball. Ron almost thought he saw tears form in the kid's eyes as he ran off. Although he felt a bit bad for the kid, all was fair in love and Pokémon battles. He shook off any feelings he had about that past battle and moved on along with Max. It was not too long before they ran into yet another trainer.

At least this trainer looked to be of age to train Pokémon. She was a young girl that looked to be about the same age as Ron and Max, maybe a bit older. She had long black hair and stunning green eyes, which was the first thing Ron noticed in women. Her clothes consisted of tattered blue jeans and a black sleeveless shirt. She had a yellow scarf wrapped around her neck, something Ron never expected to see when it was this time of year.

He wanted to gather the courage to challenge her to a battle, but on the other had he would not mind going on a date with this girl. After taking a few minutes to come to his senses, he challenged the girl to a battle, but not before introducing himself.

"_Why hello there miss. My name is Ron; I'm a Pokémon trainer from Pewter City. Who may I have the honor of addressing today?"_

As he said all of this, Max rolled his eyes back and the girl let out a small giggle. Ron could not stop thinking how cute she was, but then again he probably messed up any chance with her by acting like an idiot right then and there.

He was a bit surprised when she replied. _"My name is Samantha, and it just so happens that I'm a Pokémon trainer as well. I come from Cerulean City, and was just on my way up to the cape. Would you boys like to join me after a quick battle?"_

Well Ron had no clue how good of a Pokémon trainer she might be, but she was at least interested enough in either him or Max to want them to hang out with her for awhile. Realizing that Pikachu was still out of its Pokeball, Ron recalled this Pokémon back to its Pokeball. He did not want to give his opponent an edge, no matter how cute she was. Instead he would use Bulbasaur for this battle, since this Pokémon was fresh off a successful gym battle in Pewter City.

"_I certainly hope you're more of a challenge than that last kid was," _said Ron as he pulled Bulbasaur's Pokeball off his belt.

"_I could say the same thing about you," _replied Samantha as she pulled a Pokeball out of a yellow handbag that Ron never took notice of before.

Her Pokémon was one that Ron had never seen before, but Max was kind enough to point out to Ron that this particular Pokémon was named Nidorina. Nidorina was a female Pokémon, colored a light shade of blue with many small and large dark blue spots across its body. This Pokémon happened to have abnormally large ears, though for this species of Pokémon it was perfectly normal. Max managed to warn Ron that this was an evolved Pokémon before his friend sent his bulb Pokémon Bulbasaur into the fray.

Before Ron could give his opponent the honor of commanding her Pokémon first, she jumped the gun and yelled, _"Swipe Bulbasaur with your claws again and again! No mercy!"_

Luckily Ron had the advantage of distance and shouted, _"Nail it with some sharp leaves, then go head-on into Nidorina! Tackle at full force!"_

The two Pokémon complied with their trainer's ordered. At first the leaves seemed to faze Nidorina a bit, but the agile Pokémon soon stepped out of harm's way and continued its charge. Bulbasaur, thinking quickly, knew it was time to tackle into its opponent at full force, just as Ron had commanded. The two Pokémon collided, the impact of the attacks causing both Pokémon to bounce away from each other quite painfully. Bulbasaur managed to shake off the blow quicker, which was good because Ron had already commanded his Pokémon to wrap its vines around Nidorina and lift it high into the air.

Once the poison Pokémon was high in the air, Ron ordered his Pokémon to drop the unneeded burden. His opponent Samantha pleaded with her Pokémon to do its best to land on its feet, but it was no use.

"_Let's end this now! Tackle into Nidorina one last time!"_

Well Ron was right about ending the fight, as Nidorina was knocked out cold by Bulbasaur. However, Ron noticed that after the collision, his Pokémon looked to be in immense pain. When Samantha noticed this, she gave a small smile Ron's way before explaining what had happened.

"_It was quite reckless of you to order your Pokémon to physically come in contact with Nidorina so many times. It just so happens that her body is very poisonous, and just the slightest touch puts a Pokémon at risk for severe suffering, poison style. I'll have to lend you an Antidote when we're done this fight."_

Ron was pleased to see once she recalled Nidorina to her Pokeball, Samantha grabbed another Pokeball from her bag and released yet another Pokémon onto the bridge for a battle. This second Pokémon looked to be a head surrounded by a stream of gas. The head of this Pokémon was quite round with large eyes and two fangs sticking out from its mouth. This Pokémon appeared very…haunting.

"_Ron you have to watch out! That's Gastly, the ghost Pokémon. As you can see, it's made out of mostly gas, which could make it tough to fight against. Do whatever you can to take it out!" _said Max, warning his friend of something pretty damn obvious.

Wanting to give Spearow a chance at a battle, Ron decided to give his bird Pokémon a shot at taking down this ghostly Pokémon. This girl obviously had a thing for poison type Pokémon, because both Pokémon she decided to battle with were at least part poison type. Ron wanted to think she was good, but it was pretty common knowledge that Team Rocket enjoyed using poison type Pokémon.

"_You're up Spearow! Make me proud."_

Ron's Spearow hovered in the air, ready to take on its ghostly foe. Figuring he had the first attack this time, Ron decided to go on the offensive immediately. He ordered his Pokémon to lunge at Gastly beak-first. As his Pokémon did so, the ghost Pokémon effortlessly evaded the attack. Samantha ordered her Pokémon to counter with a Shadow Ball technique, which was a energy ball made out of some shadowy substance. This attack passed through Ron's Pokémon without causing any harm.

"_Well isn't that interesting. Neither of the Pokémon are able to land a hit on each other," _observed Max. Ron did not want to admit it, but his friend was right. How would he deal out damage to this Pokémon before Samantha found a way to take Spearow down.

"_Take Spearow out for the count! Put it to sleep with Hypnosis."_

Gastly emitted some unusual wave patterns from its eyes. As soon as they came in contact with Spearow, the bird Pokémon drifted lazily towards the ground then closed its eyes and fell asleep. Ron pleaded for his Pokémon to wake up, but it was no use. Samantha then ordered her ghost Pokémon to bite Spearow, which was quite painful for the Pokémon, even in its sleep.

Spearow rolled around for a bit, clearly in pain. Ron could not take it anymore, so he recalled Spearow to its Pokeball and ended the fight. _"It's okay Spearow. You did what you could."_

"_You did a good job Ron. I think you're a pretty good trainer," _said Ron's opponent. She then asked, _"How many badges have you earned so far?"_

"_I only have one badge, the Boulder Badge from the Pewter City gym," _replied Ron, feeling a bit anxious to know how many badges she had.

"_Well don't feel too bad. I've only got one badge too, and it's the Cascade Badge from the Cerulean City gym. I take it that's why you're going up this way….to try to find Misty?"_

Ron answered, _"Well yes, that's why I'm going up this way. I planned on going up here eventually though, because I hear there are a lot of rare water type Pokémon on the cape."_

Samantha nodded, showing that she agreed with what Ron was saying. Sure, she did not understand why he would want a water type Pokémon to battle Misty with, especially since he had that powerful Bulbasaur already, but she went along with what he said.

Max then chimed in, _"So are we just going to hang around making small talk all day, or are we gonna had down this bridge and to the cape?"_

Feeling a bit embarrassed, Ron and Samantha agreed to press onward. After all, they had only made it about halfway across the bridge. They wanted to see if there were any trainers on the bridge waiting for a battle, but much to their disappointment, there was no one to be found. That is until they saw a shady looking man leaning against a tree that was growing no less than ten feet from the Nugget Bridge.

Who is this mysterious man, and what would he want to say to three young Pokémon trainers in the middle of the day? And don't weird guys like this usually only hang around at night time? No matter what, if he happens to be a trainer, then without hesitation Ron would challenge him to a battle. He needed all the training he could get.


	9. Encounter at the Cape!

**Chapter 9**

**Encounter at the Cape!**

Ron did not understand why he always seemed to run into shady looking guys who most likely were looking for trouble. When he got closer to this man, he noticed that he was dressed quite odd. He was wearing a trench coat, which was strange attire for this time of the year. Seriously…first he meets a girl wearing a scarf, now he meets a guy wearing a trench coat. Cerulean City really had it backwards.

"_Hey there, can I help you?" _asked Ron to the strange man, hoping that he would not reach for a knife to stab Ron.

As the man reached for something inside his trench coat, Ron had a funny feeling in the pit of his stomach that he was going to die. He noticed Max and Samantha were slowing backing up as this man pulled what he was looking for from the depths of his jacket. It was a Pokeball, causing Ron to sigh in relief. He had let his imagination and too many nights watching cheap horror movies get to him again.

"_Young man, would you mind helping me to a battle? I happen to be looking for new recruits."_

"_New recruits for what?" _questioned Ron, who was clearly a young man.

The man stared at Ron as if he had asked what a Pokémon was or something like that. _"New recruits for Team Rocket of course. I wish to test you in battle to see if you truly would be a good fit for us."_

Ron laughed, saying, _"There's no way I'd join you guys. You're all a bunch of thugs that can't do anything right. Sorry, but I want to accomplish something in my life."_

Well this man did not take too kindly to Ron's choice of words. He hurled the Pokeball out of his hand, sending out a large cobra Pokémon in a flash of light. It looked to be about eleven feet in length, colored a deep purple with strange markings beneath its head. It showed its fangs menacingly at Ron. Clenching his fists tight, Ron backed away from the Pokémon slowly and carefully.

"_Max…Samantha…there's something you should know about me. I have a phobia of snakes…big time. I would suggest that either of you fight this Pokémon, because I'm gonna start hyperventilating."_

Ron was a little surprised to see Max run in front of the Arbok, Pokeball in hand. _"Don't worry Ron; I've got this one covered!"_

His choice of a Pokémon for this fight was pretty obvious. He had two Pokémon: Charmander and Metapod. Since Metapod basically could not move because of the condition it was in, it was up to Charmander. Ron hoped that if Charmander went down, Samantha would be able to fight with Gastly.

The man laughed, taunting the small flame Pokémon that dared to oppose the might of Team Rocket. _"A puny Charmander is all you've got to face me with? This one won't even be worth stealing. Let's end this quickly, give it a taste of your acid. Arbok, go!" _

The cobra Pokémon reared back its head, then launched a thick, purple liquid towards Charmander. The flame Pokémon managed to avoid the attack, but the strength of the acid was demonstrated none the less, burning into the ground that it touched. Max was intimidated, but decided to press onward.

"_Counter with some flames. Use Ember attack!"_

Fire erupted out of Charmander's mouth, burning Arbok slightly. This was clearly a very experienced Pokémon, as it was able to resist the bulk of the attack and stay standing, almost unfazed by the flames. Ron was in a panic. What would happen if they were not able to win this fight? His fear of being killed by a giant snake might actually come true. While he was busy imagining this, he paid no attention to the fact that his friend's best Pokémon was being squeezed tightly by the large cobra Pokémon.

"_Crush that useless Pokémon!" _shouted the man without a sign of remorse in his words. The Arbok was more than happy to go ahead with orders, slowly and painfully causing Charmander enough pain to drive anyone insane.

Ron snapped out of his fear long enough to send out Pikachu, then order his electric rodent to shock not the Arbok, but the laughing, evil man. The electric attack bounded off the Rocket Recruiter, doing no visible damage at all. He then revealed a small device hidden under his trench coat.

"_How do you like this? Thanks to this device, I'm completely immune to electric attacks. This became a staple for Team Rocket members a few years ago when a young man and a Pikachu threatened our very way of life."_

As the man was laughing at Ron and Max's futile attempts at freeing Charmander, a trainer off in the distance saw what was going on and reached for a Pokeball from a red bag slung over her shoulder. She was twice Ron's age, also twice as talented as a Pokémon trainer. She had bright red hair that came down to her back, something she would have never done when she was young. She was wearing shorts and an aqua blue t-shirt, which matched the color of the Pokémon she sent out to stop the Team Rocket Recruiter from causing any permanent damage to any of the young trainers he had assaulted.

A tall, aqua blue Pokémon struck Arbok with a sharp, webbed claw. When Ron was able to get a good look at this Pokémon, he noticed that it was a Golduck…could it be the one the gym leader owned? Either way, Ron wanted to get a good look at this interesting Pokémon. It had a slim, almost human like body. The Pokémon was not exactly a human though, as Ron did not see many humans colored that shade of blue with webbed feet and hands. Its key feature was a red gem on its forehead.

"_Where the hell did that thing come from?" _exclaimed Max.

"_I have no freaking clue. Either way, it might have saved us," _replied Ron.

They watched in amazement as the Golduck effortlessly finished off the Arbok with a sudden stream of water that it shot from its mouth. Although they were quite certain this man had more than one Pokémon, he recalled his Arbok back to the Pokeball it came from and took off running. Maybe he felt threatened by whoever owned that Pokémon? Regardless, it appeared as though their rescuer would be revealed soon enough.

Samantha said, _"Well fancy seeing you here Misty. How have you been since our battle?"_

The gym leader smiled warmly at Samantha, replying _"I've been just fine. In fact, I think Golduck is finally listening to me. Odd how I had always wanted Psyduck to evolve, but when it did I had a harder time training it then when it was not evolved."_

Ron assumed that she was one of those people who could just ramble on and on about stuff, but she stopped talking to turn her attention to Ron and Max. After all, she had no bloody idea who either of them was. Ron decided it would be polite to address the gym leader.

"_My name is Ron. I come from Pewter City to challenge you to a gym battle. Well…I had actually come up this way to maybe help you with your Golduck."_

Max added his two cents. _"Yeah, we thought that was going to be the plot of this little adventure. Who did we think we were trying to help out someone we didn't know? Ash Ketchum?"_

Misty acted pretty weird after hearing that name. It just dawned upon Ron that she had known Ash from when she was younger. At least, that was what the biography of Ash Ketchum mentioned. There had been speculation they were lovers, but nothing ever came from that. Ash settled down with May, the legendary coordinator from Hoenn, a few years ago.

"_If you'd like to challenge me, be sure to do it at my gym. I hope to see you there soon."_

She then walked past them, towards the city. Ron was a bit disappointed that he did not get to be useful to a gym leader, but still he wanted to see the cape anyway. He had read a while ago that some rare water type Pokémon lived up near here. That would explain why Misty wanted to train up here, to get a better idea of how her specialty type reacts in the wild.

"_You know what Ron? If I didn't know any better, I'd think you were threatened by Misty and that Golduck she has. It was able to take down that Arbok with ease."_

"_Max, there's something you should know. I could have taken that Arbok out…I was just terrified of it."_

His friend just shook his head in disbelief, but Samantha seemed to understand. She put her hand on Ron's shoulder, attempting to comfort him. He smiled at her, feeling reassured that at least someone believed him. That or she just felt bad for him. Just as suddenly as she decided to make contact with him, she then addressed her two new friends.

"_Well it certainly has been fantastic, but I have to get going. Personally I just wanted to find Misty, but I even managed to meet two new friends in the process." _She waved goodbye, saying, _"I hope to see both of you again!"_

"_She was totally into you Ron,"_ said Max when he was sure that Samantha was out of earshot.

Ron laughed at what he said, but on the inside he sort of wished that it was true. He never had been with a girl before and it sure would be nice to experience that. However she was preparing to compete in the Kanto League championship, so that made her his rival. As cute as she may be, he might end up having to battle her to advance in the Kanto League championship.

Max pointed out towards the distance, showing Ron a beach that they had not noticed before. The wonderful scenery of the wooded area near the bridge vanished. Grainy sand replaced the plush grass, while rolling waves replaced the lush green trees. Ron knew a lot about bodies of water, since he did live on islands before. The odd thing was that he was a terrible swimmer.

"_So I'm assuming your plan is to hang around here waiting for some random water type Pokémon to show up?" _asked Max with a slight grin on his face.

"_That was the general idea. We don't have a fishing rod or anything"_

They hung around the shore for about a half hour, not seeing anything but the waves roll against the sand over and over again. It was so boring that the two trainers wanted to fall asleep on the sand. It was then that Ron noticed something moving around on the sand. It was a small crab-like Pokémon. He happened to know what this Pokémon was, since he had encountered one of its kind when he was a kid…and it pinched his finger.

"_That little bastard is a Krabby. It's a small, red crab Pokémon. It has those little claws on it, claws that would enjoy pinching an unsuspecting kid's fingers. Now that I think of it, this might not be a bad choice of a Pokémon to catch."_

Ron grabbed Pikachu's Pokeball from his belt, and then tossed it onto the sand. His electric rodent prepared for orders from Ron. Without much hesitation, Ron ordered his Pikachu to let loose a Thundershock on the crab Pokémon. Krabby seemed to brace itself for the strike, as it nailed the electric energy with one of its claws. The attack fizzled out as if it was nothing.

"_Okay, now you have to catch this Krabby…if you can," _said Max as he was observing the battle from a safe distance.

"_I guess we'll have to go in for a physical attack. Speed up with a Quick Attack. Show no mercy!"_

As Pikachu raced at Krabby, a white trail of light following closely, the crab Pokémon unleashed a stream of bubbles from its mouth. Pikachu was struck by these bubbles, one at a time. Sure each one of them did not hurt as a single object, but eventually the rodent felt some pain from the barrage. It never even got a chance to get close to Krabby. Ron did not like how this battle was going, but felt as though he needed to keep fighting.

"_Come on back Pikachu!"_ said Ron as a red beam of light struck his Pokémon, returning it to the Pokeball it had come out of. _"Now let's see how Bulbasaur can do in battle!"_

His grass Pokémon looked prepared to fight, but at the same time looked to be in some serious pain. And then it hit Ron…he had never gotten the poison antidote from Samantha. Now he was in a tight spot. Pikachu could not land a hit on Krabby, Bulbasaur was poisoned, and Spearow was out cold.

"_Let's do this quick! Give your Razor Leaf attack a whirl."_

A fury of leaves flew straight towards Krabby, dealing obvious damage to the water type Pokémon. Hoping that it was enough to finish the job, Ron pulled out a Pokeball from his belt and pointed it at Krabby before hurling it towards the wild Pokémon. It was taken within the Pokeball, where it spent a few moments struggling to break free. As the Pokeball came to a halt, Ron could not help but feel quite accomplished.

"_Well we can go now. I caught a water type Pokémon, the other three Pokémon I have are in no condition to fight, and if we hurry we might be able to get back to the Pokémon Center in time to get something to eat." _

"_You know what Ron? That sounds pretty damn good to me right now. We accomplished a lot today, eh?"_

Ron laughed, saying, _"Hmm…we met a cute girl, got our asses saved by Misty, and I caught a Krabby. I'd say that's a decent day. Tomorrow could be even better if I beat Misty in a gym battle."_

He felt a bit uneasy about this upcoming battle, having been shown how powerful one of her Pokémon really was. It was important that he maintained some confidence; otherwise he would never be able to accomplish his goals. As the two trainers went off towards the city, the had their sights set on more adventure.


	10. Vs Golduck! Cerulean City Gym!

**Chapter 10**

**Vs Golduck! Cerulean City Gym!**

"_So why are you so nervous anyway? We've spent the last five days training for this," _said Max, standing next to Ron as he nervously stood at the door to the Cerulean City gym.

Ron sighed, unsure of what to tell his friend. They had been through a lot over the last few days, training around the outskirts of Cerulean City in desperation, hoping it would prepare him for his upcoming battle. He had seen one of the gym leader's Pokémon in action. What he saw pushed him to train like his life depended on it.

"_Look…I'm just a bit anxious about this battle. I know that somehow I'll pull victory from my ass, but that's beyond the point. Battles make me nervous, especially when I got a frightening sneak preview of what could or could not be Misty's best Pokémon."_

Max opened the door for Ron, all while wondering why the gyms did not have sliding doors. It sure would make things easier for trainers that wanted to challenge the gym in question. They made their way inside, noticing that there was a simple lobby much like the one in the Pewter City gym. Yet again, it was devoid of life.

"_Why do they bother with making these nice lobbies if there's never anyone working at them…ever?" _asked Ron as he kicked the air, clearly frustrated with the lack of a direction to go in.

"_Hey Ron, why not go through that door over there? It clearly states on the door that it leads to the battlefield."_

"_Well thanks Max, I never seem to notice the small details, do I?"_

This door was another that required physical effort to open it. They made their way through a hallway with walls that were not exactly walls. There was a large glass aquarium on either side of the two trainers. Ron and Max took the time to admire the sea life, watching as Max pointed out various water type Pokémon making their way around the beautiful scenery.

"_I really hope these Pokémon are just for display. Some of them look really tough," _said Ron, pointing out a large blue scaled serpent Pokémon named Gyarados. Sure, there were other Pokémon in the aquarium, but none as fearsome as the serpent in question.

"_Just ignore it Ron, you'll be fine!" _said Max, reassuring his friend that everything would work out in the end.

Ron thanked Max as the two trainers made their way down the hallway. It was not long before they reached a large double door on the other side. The pushed it open and were greeted by a massive pool. There was artificial land in the middle of this pool, covered in grass and a tall palm tree. This was clearly where gym battles took place, and it was much more impressive than Ron had ever imagined it to be.

As Max was just wondering if what they had done would count as trespassing, a voice echoed across the room to where he and his friend were standing.

"_Hey! Don't I know you two from somewhere? The Cerulean Cape maybe?"_

They looked around for the source of the voice. Once the found who had yelled in their direction, they were relieved to see that it was the recognizable face of the gym leader of the Cerulean City gym. It was Misty, the red-headed water Pokémon trainer that bailed them out of a lot of trouble earlier in the week. She ran over towards them, swimming the length of the pool in the process. She climbed out of the pool, grabbing a nearby towel in the process as she made her way towards the visitors to her gym.

"_I take it one or both of you would like to have a battle with me? If so, I would be honored to accept your challenge. Then again, I really have no choice when it comes to who I battle. Either way…is that what you want?" _asked the gym leader.

Ron stepped forward, saying, _"My name is Ron. I come here from Pewter City to challenge you to a gym battle. As for my friend here, he's just going to watch."_

"_And for the record, his friend does have the ability to speak and introduce himself. My name is Max," _said a slightly annoyed Max.

Misty laughed, and then called over to a young girl with pigtails. Ron had a feeling that she would be the referee for the battle, which did not come as a surprise to him at all. Younger children that we not ready to become Pokémon trainers sometimes trained under a gym leader or a similar teacher.

"_My name is Emily. I'm eleven years old and am training to become a great Pokémon trainer just like Misty. One day I'll reach that goal, but until then I'll be a referee for this gym."_

"_That's really awesome,"_ stated Max as the young girl took off for the referee's spot on the sidelines, smiling and waving to Max as she did so.

Ron and Misty both took their respective sides on the battlefield, bracing themselves for a fierce showdown between a gym leader and young Pokémon trainer. In the back of Ron's mind were strong concerns for how he could take down Golduck, but he banished these thoughts to the back of his mind for a reason. He did not want to count himself out of the fight right away, as he knew if he did his best he could come out on top.

"_This battle will be between the challenger Ron and the gym leader Misty. Each side will be allowed three Pokémon. Only the challenger is allowed to substitute Pokémon throughout the fight. There is no time limit. The match is over when one side's Pokémon are unable to battle. Are both trainers ready?" _asked Emily as she raised flags towards either trainer. Misty's color would be green, while Ron's would be red. Both trainers nodded, as they seemed anxious to start.

"_Let's get this started, shall we?" _asked Misty as she threw out her first Pokémon. Her Pokeball landed in the water, releasing a small fish Pokémon. It would best resemble a goldfish, colored orange and white. The strange thing about this fish was the large horn coming from out of its head. _"I guess Goldeen will be my first Pokémon."_

Ron knew exactly what Pokémon to start with. He picked his Krabby as his first Pokémon, as he had been training alongside the crab Pokémon for the last five days, gaining an understanding for what kind of fighter it was.

"_I'll start off with my Krabby! Unleash a Bubble attack on that Goldeen over there!" _shouted Ron.

His Pokémon, who was standing on the platform in the middle of the arena, launched a stream of bubbles towards Goldeen. The fish Pokémon dived into the water, safe to fight another day. The bubbles died away on the surface of the water. Ron was slightly disappointed, knowing he would have to take the battle into the water.

"_As soon as it comes into the water, charge at it with your horn!" _commanded the gym leader.

Ron had been expecting something like this to happen, so he ordered Krabby to grab not the bull by the horn, but the Goldeen by the horn. He had been training for something like this, having his Krabby master timing grips with its very useful claws. Krabby was able to pull off the technique flawlessly, hurling Goldeen horn-first into the ledge of the platform Krabby had come from.

Goldeen found itself caught by the horn in the wall, which seemed to be more annoying then limiting to the graceful fish. Without much trouble at all, it was able to pull itself out. Misty then ordered for her Pokémon to charge yet again, but Ron had yet another way to counter a charging Pokémon.

"_Slam your claw onto the surface of the water! That should be interesting at least, right?"_

This had been Max's idea, to use the pool to his advantage. Sure, they had never seen the battlefield before today, but it was safe to assume at least part of it contained water. The force of Krabby's strike caused a small tidal wave to rise and stream off right in the direction of the attacking Goldeen. The wave caused Goldeen to be lifted out of the water and hurled right into the palm tree in the middle of the platform.

Emily glanced at Goldeen, making sure that it really had become unconscious. She then waved a red flag in the direction of Ron, stating, _"Misty's Goldeen is unable to battle. The winner of this round is the challenger's Krabby!"_

Ron grinned, feeling that his training with Krabby was paying off quite well. He had gotten off to a good start, and even if Krabby could not take down her next Pokémon, he still had Pikachu and Bulbasaur in reserve, two Pokémon that had advantages over water type Pokémon.

"_Let's see how well you handle my next Pokémon. Staryu…I choose you!"_

True to the Pokémon's name, her next choice was a star-shaped Pokémon. It was colored bronze, with a shining red ruby at the core of its body. Ron had never seen this Pokémon before, but by just looking at it he could tell that the core was its weak spot. He needed to find a way to exploit this or the fight would drag out too long.

"_Krabby, start things off with a Bubble attack!"_

Misty replied, _"Trying that again, are we? I guess you'll never learn that it just won't work against my Pokémon. Counter with a Swift attack, now!"_

Ron would never understand this, but somehow Pokémon were able to fire attacks from out of seemingly nothing. These tiny star projectiles came out of nowhere to fly straight towards Ron's crab Pokémon. The Bubble attack sent towards Staryu was simply broken up by the counterattack. Thinking quickly, Ron ordered his Krabby to use harden its body in order to improve its chances of withstanding the attack.

Once the Swift attack came into contact with the defensive-minded Krabby, Ron was relieved to see that the attack really did not affect his Pokémon at all. Once again, this went back to the intense training that he put Krabby and the rest of his Pokémon through as preparation for this fight.

"_You're going to have to do more than that to take out my Krabby!"_

"_Well if you say so…then I shall do more than that. Staryu, use a Rapid Spin attack on Krabby. Make it hurt!"_

Ron figured this would be another great test for his training. That core in the middle of Staryu looked like a huge bull's-eye for this young trainer, one that he would exploit for a win. He ordered his crab Pokémon to smash into Staryu's core with its claw, much like it had hit the water to cause the very effective wave attack on Goldeen earlier in the fight.

Krabby's powerful claw struck the core of Staryu dead-on. The shattered core flashed a few times before the light from within it faded away. Emily did not need much more proof than that that the gym leader's second Pokémon had gone down. She waved her flag in Ron's direction, declaring Krabby the winner yet again. And then it was time for Misty to use her Golduck. Ron suddenly did not feel as confident as before.

"_Let's see how well you can keep up with my Golduck. I've had this Pokémon for years now, and I feel confident that it will be a difficult Pokémon to knock down and out," _challenged Misty.

Misty got the first command in this round, ordering her Golduck to use an attack called Water Pulse. The duck-like Pokémon formed a ball of water within its hands, building up quite a bit of energy before firing the attack towards Krabby. Ron tried to use the defensive tactic he used against Staryu, but this attack was much more powerful than the Swift attack Staryu attacked with. Krabby was swept off the ground, landing in the water.

Ron asked if his Pokémon was okay, but he got no response. Instead, he could only watch as his Krabby bashed its head against the edge of the pool. His Pokémon seemed confused, which was not a good thing. Its confusion did it in quickly, as the crab Pokémon collapsed from exhaustion.

"_That's okay Krabby. You did an awesome job, and I'm proud of you," _said Ron as he recalled Krabby to its Pokeball. His next choice would be his electric type Pokémon, Pikachu. He sent the rodent into the fray, prepared to end this as quickly as possible.

"_Let's play the type card to our advantage! Nail Golduck with a Thundershock attack!"_

Misty seemed to be in touch with the duck Pokémon on a telepathic level. She did not even mutter a command, however her Pokémon swiftly avoided the attack, then charged up a Water Pulse attack as it had done against Krabby. Ron ordered his Pokémon to charge through the attack as quickly as possible, aiming to hit Golduck in the process. Misty shouted for her Pokémon to jump, then come plummeting down towards Pikachu with its claws brandished.

Ron shouted to his partner, _"Is everything okay? If you can still hear me, give Golduck a taste of Thundershock at close range!"_

Again, the water Pokémon attempted to avoid the attack. This time, something strange happened. Sparks flew from the body of the Golduck as it made an attempt at leaping upwards. The Thundershock attack hit the paralyzed Pokémon full force, but the sender of the attack collapsed shortly after releasing the attack. Ron was forced to recall his fallen Pokémon, but the fight was not over yet.

"_You should never rely on type advantages as much as you've done with that Pikachu of yours," _warned Misty as Ron selected his third and final Pokémon.

"_It may not be a good idea, but last time I checked, your Pokémon is paralyzed. I think Bulbasaur can end this!"_

Ron sent out his bulb Pokémon, releasing it on the platform where Golduck was standing. The two Pokémon stared each other down, sparks continuing to fly from Golduck's wounded body. The water Pokémon prepared yet another Water Pulse attack, taking advantage of the slight use of its arms that it was granted for the time being.

"_Propel yourself towards that palm tree with one of your vines! We can't afford to suffer another setback from that Water Pulse attack!" _yelled Ron, hoping that his Pokémon would act in time.

Latching itself onto the tree, Bulbasaur managed to pull away from the ground it was standing on. It then landed behind Golduck, who could not react quickly with the condition it had.

"_We're going to end this now! Finish Golduck with a Razor Leaf attack, now!"_

A seemingly endless stream of leaves flew towards Golduck, cutting through the flesh of this Pokémon like scissors through paper. Golduck seemed to be able to stand immediately after the attack, but after the pain set in, the water Pokémon could take no more. It collapsed to the ground, defeated. Ron grinned as the best Pokémon Misty had to offer was declared unable to battle. This grin stayed on his face as he made his way around to the entrance of the battlefield, where Misty presented him with a water drop shaped badge.

"_By earning the Cascade Badge, you have proven your worth as a Pokémon trainer at the Cerulean City gym. I congratulate you for this victory, as it was well earned," _said Misty as she handed the badge over to Ron, who placed it in a badge case that already contained the Boulder Badge.

He thanked the gym leader before leaving. She informed the two travelers that the closest gym was in Vermillion City, a port city to the south of where they were now. Ron and Max figured it would be a good idea to rest up and restock on supplies, which was essential if they wanted to make it in one piece. To find out where their adventures take them next, keep reading!


	11. Falling in ‘Free Flight!

**Chapter 11**

**Falling in 'Free Flight!**

"_So we have to find the Underground Tunnel, right?" _asked Ron.

"_That's the idea if you want to get to Vermillion City."_

Ron let out a sigh. He had no bloody clue where this tunnel was, despite the fact that he had grown up in this area. Saffron City was right between Cerulean and Vermillion City, but for the time being Ron wanted to avoid the city of his birth. People knew him there, but more importantly they knew of his past.

They had been walking for nearly an hour when Max turned to Ron. What he requested gave Ron quite a shock, as he was well aware that his friend had no intention of being involved with regular competitive battles.

"_I'm just asking because, well, you know…my Pokémon have gotten some training lately when we were preparing for your fight against Misty. I wanted to see if they had grown any in the process. A battle against you would be fun, wouldn't it?"_

Ron replied, _"Well my friend, I would have to agree. I won't judge you like Vincent did when you had your battle with him, despite the fact that you pretty much were a fair match for him."_

It was not long before they found a suitable location for a quick battle. Once they set themselves up on opposite sides of the field, they each grabbed a Pokeball from their belts, prepared for an intense showdown of friends.

"_I believe Bulbasaur will be my first choice!" _declared Ron.

"_Well then, I'll go with Charmander for round one," _stated Max.

Ron gestured for Max to command the first attack of the battle. His friend ordered Charmander to charge at Bulbasaur and strike with its claws. In order to avoid the attack, Ron ordered his Bulbasaur to use Vine Whip on the ground, propelling the grass Pokémon straight into the air.

"_Send Razor Leaf attack down at Charmander…just like rain!" _shouted Ron.

"_Don't let that scare you! Use some fire to burn those leaves and hit Bulbasaur in the process!"_

Flames erupted from within Charmander's mouth, burning the leaves without much trouble and also dealing some critical damage towards the grass type Bulbasaur. At this point, Ron was pretty concerned. His friend had the clear advantage in this fight, one that he was exploiting quite well.

As Bulbasaur was falling back towards the earth, it was very vulnerable to yet another attack. Charmander was ordered to claw away at its opponent yet again, this time landing some strong blows. All looked grim for Ron in this fight, but he was not about to give in just yet.

"_Wrap your vines around Charmander's body, and then spin your opponent in the air. Make it as dizzy as possible!"_

"_That isn't a bad idea, but we can stop it. Burn the vines with your Ember attack!"_

Ron revealed a slight grin. He had completely expected this sort of counter from his friend. Once the vines caught fire, he had the leverage he needed in this fight. He ordered his Pokémon to quickly strike Charmander with the flame covered vines, which dealt some serious damage, despite the fact that it was a fire type Pokémon.

His celebration was short-lived when he realized that the vines on fire caused a great deal of pain for the grass type Pokémon. It had already been hit once by a powerful fire type attack, and this one finally wore down Bulbasaur. Ron's Pokémon collapsed from exhaustion, giving Max the victory.

As Ron recalled his Pokémon back, he said, _"This isn't over yet."_

Ron reached for another Pokeball, but not before considering his options. Charmander looked pretty tired, meaning he could probably take it out with one solid hit. He took a moment, and then decided to give Spearow a chance. After all, Spearow was his only Pokémon to not get to battle against Misty.

"_I guess we can try to end this fight quickly! Spearow, peck at Charmander with your beak!" _commanded Ron.

Max tried to get Charmander to fight back, but his Pokémon was much too tired to even put in an effort. Spearow nailed Charmander hard in the chest area, knocking the wind out of the fire type Pokémon. As it passed out, Max recalled Charmander back to its Pokeball. He then sent out his Metapod, his defensive-minded Pokémon that had evolved before they went through Mt. Moon together.

Ron figured this would be an easy win for Spearow, considering the fact that Metapod could not even move. To make matters worse for Max, Metapod was a bug type Pokémon, which meant it was vulnerable to the flying type Spearow. He commanded his Pokémon to jab its beak at Metapod like it had done to take down Charmander. Max ordered his Pokémon to harden its body, much like Krabby could do.

Spearow fell backwards, seemingly hurt from impact. _"Is everything okay?" _asked Ron.

His Pokémon responded by taking flight again. As it prepared for the next command, it took notice of a strange crack on the tough skin of Metapod. Max seemed concerned about the condition of his Pokémon until he realized what was happening. Emerging from Metapod was a small purple butterfly like Pokémon with beautiful wings. The young Pokémon researcher happily greeted his new Pokémon.

"_Congratulations Butterfree…you evolved!" _shouted a very excited Max.

Ron reminded him that they were still in a battle, which was a fact that Max quickly acknowledged. He was not sure what sort of attacks his Butterfree knew right off the bat, but his Pokémon took care of that. It flapped its wings rapidly, causing a small tornado to form as a result. Spearow narrowly avoided the attack, and then countered by launching a furious assault on its newly evolved opponent.

"_Hang in there Butterfree! You have to fight back against Spearow if you want to win this."_

"_Spearow, let's ignore that obvious statement and end this battle on our terms. Strike Butterfree with your Steel Wing attack, now!"_

The bird Pokémon's wings glowed bright as it charged towards Butterfree one more time. Instead of attempting to avoid the attack, Butterfree prepared to take the attack head on by tackling into Spearow. The collision between these two aerial Pokémon was immense, sending them flying backward and towards the ground. Butterfree appeared to be down and out, but Spearow managed to pull itself together.

"_It's okay Butterfree, I know you did your best," _reassured Max as he returned his newly evolved friend back to its Pokeball.

Ron approached Max and reached out his hand, _"We both did a damn good job in that fight, wouldn't you say?"_

Max smiled and agreed. Despite what had taken place in this clearing, they would not let it break apart their friendship. It was good to have a nice friendly Pokémon battle every once and awhile, rather than always having to compete against someone like when Ron went up against Vincent or Samantha.

"_So now we find the tunnel, right?" _asked Ron.

"_Yes Ron…we find the tunnel. Haven't we been through this before?" _

Ron nodded, knowing that his short attention span was slowly beginning to annoy his traveling companion. Either way, for some reason Ron felt as though he had a true friend in Max. Prior to his departure from home, he really did not know many people to hang out with around any of the cities or towns he lived in over the years. The constant moving prevented him from really becoming close friends with anyone, until now of course.

They only needed to walk for about a half hour before they found a single building with a sign that indicated that it was the entrance to the Cerulean City side of the Underground Tunnel. Neither of them knew what to expect as they made their way into the building, but it really was not much to behold when they pushed open the door and made their way inside.

Off to the side there were bathrooms for both males and females, but aside from that there was nothing but a staircase that led to the actual tunnel portion of the Underground Tunnel. Both trainers took advantage of the bathrooms at their disposal, taking the liberty to relieve themselves before making their way through the tunnel.

Making his way down the stairs, Ron said, _"Well at least we don't have to go down a ladder."_

Max replied, _"Exactly. I'm pretty sure some of my hair fell out from the stress Mt. Moon put on me. I mean, didn't anyone bother to think that the ladders would wear down overtime? At least these stairs look sturdy enough to support us."_

After making it down into the tunnel without the stairs breaking through or anything disastrous, the two trainers glanced around at their surroundings. There were light fixtures places throughout the tunnel, but not enough to make it so they could see more than a few yards in front of their faces while advancing forward. They imagined how many things had been lost in this tunnel over the years when Ron tripped on something in the darkness.

"_God dammit," _swore Ron as he pulled himself to his feet again.

He looked for what tripped him, finding that part of the carpet they were walking on had been sticking up. He had expected to find something amazing and rare when he looked for what he tripped on, but instead found that the carpet was not fully flat. This was quite lame, but it was not long before he put this behind him and pressed onward into the unknown.

Turning to Max, Ron asked, _"Is there anything worth seeing in Vermillion City besides the gym?"_

Max replied, looking a bit surprised, _"You mean you don't know about the Vermillion Port? It's the largest port in the Kanto Region. The famous S.S. Anne is docked there right now, and it's open for trainers to check out. There are plenty of other things to see, like the Pokémon Fan Club and the famous Pokémon Daycare Center."_

Ron was pretty excited now. It seemed as though there was enough to see in this city to keep them there for a few days at least. His main goal was to defeat the gym leader there, but besides that he wanted to check out the S.S. Anne and visit the Pokémon Daycare. To be honest, he could care less about a Pokémon Fan Club, but maybe there would be some trainers to battle there.

It took them less than twenty minutes to make it through the boring tunnel. They made their way up yet another set of stairs, arriving in a building that looked just like the one that had entered earlier. If they did not know any better, they would think they were back where they started.

The two trainers were bathed in sunlight as they escaped the dark and quiet tunnel. Their surroundings were pretty much typical for the outdoors. There was grass, some trees, and even a nice dirt trail for them to follow. Ron pointed out a sign that said _"Vermillion City: 5 miles away." _It was nice to know that they were getting close to their next destination, but it was beginning to get slightly dark outside. After all, they waited until about three in the afternoon before they departed from Cerulean City.

"_We can make it before nightfall," _declared Ron. Max reluctantly agreed, not wanting to push himself but at the same time knew there was no talking Ron out of things once he had his mind set on it.

They walked onward, looking to see if they could run into any Pokémon or trainers or both. It was not long before Ron spotted a young man in a suit, leaning up against a tree and eating some sort of energy bar. He spotted Ron and Max, approaching them calmly.

"_Hell there. My name is Tom, and I am a Pokémon trainer. It would please me greatly if you were to engage me in combat."_

To this Ron replied, _"By that I assume you mean our Pokémon, correct? If so, I'm up for it. How's a quick one on one fight sound to you?"_

He smiled slightly, nodding to what Ron had suggested. He pulled a Pokeball from his belt, showing he had clearly chosen his Pokémon without much hesitation. Ron wanted to fight with his Krabby a little more, so he reached for the crab's Pokeball.

Tom revealed his Pokémon to be a Growlithe, the small puppy Pokémon. It was a fire type, meaning somehow Ron had gotten lucky with his choice for this fight. Really he did not want to use either Bulbasaur or Spearow since they had been in a fight recently, so it was not a surprise that he went with Krabby anyway.

"_You and your Krabby may make the first move if you would like to."_

"_That sounds fantastic. Let's start things off with a Bubble attack!"_

Ron somehow got a kick out of starting battles with the same attacks, which is why he always ordered his Krabby to unleash a stream of bubbles to open up fights. The choice would have paid off if Krabby made contact with Growlithe, but the agile Pokémon avoided the attack with ease.

"_Well done Growlithe. Strike back by biting onto that Krabby!"_

This put Growlithe right where Ron wanted the fire Pokémon. He ordered Krabby to slam down hard on Growlithe with its claw when its opponent came into range of the strike. Tom let out a gasp as his Pokémon was struck by the powerful claw of the crab Pokémon. Seeing an opportunity to end the fight, Ron then ordered his Krabby to use Vicegrip on the puppy Pokémon.

"_Wait! Please don't cause any more harm to my dear Growlithe. He's a family pet, and if anything happened to him I don't know what I'd do."_

He had not expected this, but Ron could sense the truth in Tom's words. He called off his Krabby's attack, giving Tom the chance to recall his Pokémon. The obviously rich trainer approached Ron, thanking him for the mercy. He gave Ron and Max tickets aboard the S.S. Anne as thanks.

"_Really, you don't have to do this," _insisted Ron, but Tom would hear nothing of the sort.

"_You're a fine Pokémon trainer, and a gentleman to boot. I would be honored if you came to the dinner party aboard the S.S. Anne this week. Also, I'm sure my family would be pleased to show you around the Pokémon Daycare when you go into the city."_

There was nothing Ron could do, but he was not complaining one bit. He and Max would get to check out the S.S. Anne, and even a Pokémon Daycare. This just showed that doing a nice favor for someone can go a long way. Tom waved goodbye to the two trainers as they made their way towards Vermillion City, their eyes set on adventure.

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**Notes:**

- Yes this is my first time writing a note. Felt it was necessary.

- This chapter was just a way to fill in how they eventually reach the S.S. Anne.

- Expect at least three big changes to Ron's roster before the end of Vermillion City.

- Thanks for reading. Leave reviews please, I'm obviously lacking in that department.


	12. One Eggcellent Adventure

**Chapter 12**

**One Eggcellent Adventure**

"_Well, we made it to Vermillion City by nightfall, got a room at the Pokémon Center, and got a full night's sleep last night. Since we've got the whole day ahead of us, what's on the agenda?" _asked Ron as he devoured a plate of pancakes in the cafeteria.

Max politely finished chewing before responding to his rather rude friend. _"I think it'd be pretty awesome to check out that Pokémon Daycare Center that just got moved over to the city. I mean think about it, that's where all the baby Pokémon come from that eventually become starter Pokémon."_

Ron had to admit that sounded like a pretty nice trip for the day. After all, he had wanted to get a look around this well known port city for some time now, and this might be his one and only chance to do so. Once they finished their breakfast, they picked up their Pokémon from the front desk and proceeded out the front door.

Since they had no idea where the daycare was located, they pretty much wandered the roads aimlessly until a sign was found that pointed them in the proper direction. The daycare was an interesting building, set up like a regular child-care center for human children. Multiple people that were most likely assistants hurried around behind the white picket fence, carrying things such as food, water, and play toys back and forth across the yard.

The actual building was made of brick, showing wear and tear that occurs over time to buildings of this sort. Ron took notice of the front door, which seemed pretty new compared to the rest of the building. He figured it was safe to assume that they got a new door for the place when they turned it into a daycare, but did not bother with making the building less painful to run into.

Once they were inside, Ron and Max were greeted by an older couple behind a counter. They both had gray hair; however the man's hair seemed to be lacking what it once was when he was younger. The two trainers introduced themselves to the couple, and they in returned asked if they were the two trainers that their grandson was Tom, the boy they had been kind to on the outskirts of town.

"_We would be happy to thank you ourselves for what you did for our grandson," _stated the older man.

Ron shrugged his shoulders, saying, _"It was really nothing. He really cares about that Growlithe of his, so I didn't mind stopping the battle at his request. However I can't stop you from expressing your kindness."_

The old couple smiled, leading Ron and Max behind the counter. The man lifted up a small glass case, revealing that it carried a Pokémon egg. Ron could see that the egg was covered in red and orange flames, perhaps indicating that it was a fire type Pokémon contained within. On the top of the case was a Pokeball, meant for the young Pokémon when it hatched. He handed the case to Ron, telling him that it was the least he could do for the act of kindness he had shown towards Tom. Ron was flattered, while Max was excited just to see a Pokémon egg up close.

"_This is really nice of you. I don't know what to say," _said Ron, obviously shocked at the degree of kindness these people were showing him for just being reasonable with a stranger.

"_We think this is a good decision. After all, this Pokémon would like to be with a trainer like you. You are both strong and kind to not only Pokémon, but people as well."_

As the couple got into conversation with the young trainers about the regular work required at a Pokémon Daycare, there were three men in black uniforms hanging around outside of the center. They were obviously up to no good, and this was made obvious by the large red letters that were across their shirts.

The door to the daycare swung open as the first Rocket burst into the small lobby. He had a look on his face that showed Ron that he was a man on a mission, but that would not stop Ron and Max from trying to stop whatever him from whatever evil he was planning on doing to this innocent daycare.

"_Now listen here," _he shouted, _"We're here to take all the Pokémon eggs you have. We won't take no for an answer, and we won't be afraid to use force…even on the weak."_

Two more Rockets came in after him, not talking but still looking like they wanted trouble. Ron grabbed a Pokeball from his belt, preparing for the worst. Two of the Rockets, he noticed, looked pretty familiar from before.

Pointing to the two Rockets that just came in, he asked, _"Didn't I see you guys back in Pewter City?" _He then remembered how they were arrested. _"And weren't you put in jail for trying to steal those fossils?"_

The Rocket in the front laughed, _"Kid, you obviously have no idea who you're dealing with here. We're Team Rocket. We get what we want, and we get away with it. The law can't hold us down for long."_

"_Then I guess I'll have to take you all down. It shouldn't be a problem…especially since it's the same losers from before. Who cares if one more Rocket loser is with you."_

The man grinned, _"I'm no ordinary Rocket. I happen to be an executive…and I'm here on important business to get Pokémon eggs. We'll start with that one in the case that you've got."_

"_You're not taking it without a fight!" _shouted Ron.

He sent out his Pikachu to battle the Rockets, while Max threw out his Butterfree. Ron had not expected to see Max get involved in the fight, mostly because his friend was not being all that vocal about what was going on. The two Rocket Grunts threw out their Pokémon. One of these Pokémon was the Grimer that Ron remembered fighting back in Pewter City, while the other was what looked like a floating, hollow crater with holes around its body and a skull and cross bone mark below its two eyes and mouth.

"_Ron, that second Pokémon is Koffing. It's a poison type Pokémon, much like that Grimer is. I'll fight that one, while you take on the Grimer," _said Max, feeling like the leader in this situation.

Ron nodded, and then decided it was best to focus on the task at hand. He ordered his Pikachu to attack Grimer with a Thundershock attack. His friend Max commanded Butterfree to use a Gust attack, sweeping Koffing away in the great force of the wind. These Pokémon were clearly not well trained, as they seemed exhausted after those attacks.

The executive was clearly frustrated with this turn of events. He screamed, _"What do you think you're doing?! These kids aren't grade-A Pokémon trainers. You should have no problem taking them down." _He held his hand to his forehead, obviously put in a state of stress from what was going on. _"If you want something done right, you have to do it yourself…"_

The two grunts, obviously terrified by what the executive screamed at them, recalled their Pokémon frantically. Ron could sense that some sort of punishment was coming their way no matter what the outcome of this mission was. The young trainer then felt extremely nervous, remembering his last encounter with a higher ranking Team Rocket member. It took the strength of a gym leader to take down his Pokémon, and he feared that it would be the same situation all over again.

The executive threw a Pokeball onto the ground forcefully, sending out his Pokémon. Ron felt relieved when he realized the Pokémon was not an Arbok like it had been before. Maybe he really could do this. When he got a good look at this Pokémon, he noticed that it appeared to be a larger version of Grimer. This Pokémon looked a lot more powerful, and a lot angrier, than the Grimer that came before it.

"_Hey Ron, do you want to take this battle?" _asked Max, hoping that Ron would say yes.

"_I think Pikachu and I can handle this Pokémon. It just looks like an oversized Grimer to me."_

The executive appeared a bit frustrated by Ron's choice of a description. _"That oversized Grimer is a Muk…the evolved form of Grimer and my first Pokémon. We'll crush you, then steal all of your Pokémon and these eggs."_

"_You'll have to get through us first! We can do this Pikachu, we just have to remember not to get close to Muk," _said Ron, remembering when his Spearow got engulfed by a Grimer back in Pewter City.

"We'll see about that. Muk, give that Pikachu a taste of your Sludge!"

The poison Pokémon flung what seemed to be a bit of its body towards the electrical Pokémon. Ron's Pikachu just managed to avoid the attack, sidestepping to its left and preparing to counter. More powerful sparks than ever flew from the rodent's cheeks.

"_Hey Ron!" _shouted Max, _"I think Pikachu just learned a bit more powerful of an attack."_

Ron looked at his Pokémon, asking, _"Is this true?" _ Pikachu nodded. _"Let's let loose with that new attack! Straight at Muk…go!"_

This more powerful attack was known as Thunderbolt; however Ron would not find that out until later. Whether he knew the name of the attack or not did not seem to matter, as Pikachu picked up on how to use the move pretty easily. The attack struck the poison foe, dealing out massive damage. In the aftermath of the attack, sparks danced around the Muk's body. Ron grinned, knowing he could win this fight with Pikachu's new attack.

"_You may have gotten some help with that Thunderbolt attack, but it won't save you for long!" _warned the Rocket Executive. _"Smother that Pikachu…use Body Slam attack!"_

Moving with surprising speed, Muk came over to Ron's Pikachu and threw itself on top of the electrical rodent. The attack had come so suddenly that Pikachu had no way of defending itself. Ron pleaded with his Pokémon to free itself, but it seemed to be pointless. His Pikachu probably could not hear him underneath of the Muk, where it was slowly suffocating under the poisonous Pokémon's weight.

All looked grim until suddenly a glow appeared, seemingly from inside of Muk. Everyone looked in amazement, including Muk, as something was clearly going on with either Pikachu or Muk. Without warning, Muk was thrown high into the air, splattering on just about everything in the lobby of the daycare. With Muk out of the picture, it was revealed that Pikachu was just fine…maybe even better than fine. In fact, the Pokémon's trainer did not even recognize the Pokémon that splattered the Muk everywhere.

Pikachu had grown nearly twice its old height, with fur that had turned a darker yellow with white fur on its chest and cheeks that now were colored the same yellow as its entire body had once been. The paws of the electric Pokémon had turned brown, while its back was now lined with brown stripes. This new Pokémon had a much longer tail than Pikachu had originally had. Pikachu had…evolved.

"_Wow!"_ exclaimed Max. _"Your Pikachu…evolved. I had always thought you needed a Thunderstone to evolve Pikachu into Raichu, but I suppose there are exceptions to that rule."_

Ron looked at his Pokémon in disbelief. _"Raichu…congratulations. All our training finally paid off, and now you evolved."_

While everyone was getting over the shock of Pikachu's evolution, they did not seem to notice that the bits of Muk that had been thrown across the room were slowly gathering back together to form the poison Pokémon. It returned to its normal self, though a bit damaged by attacks it had suffered earlier.

"_Well it looks like I get to take a Raichu to the boss now. Thanks a lot kid, you're gonna make me loads of cash!" _said the executive with excitement in his voice.

"_I think you'll be leaving here empty handed, actually," _suggested Ron. _"Let's end this by trying a Thunderbolt attack, then slam into Muk with a Mega Punch attack!"_

Raichu let loose a powerful Thunderbolt attack, putting Muk into a state of shock that did not leave it very prepared to take the next attack. The electric rodent ran towards the sludge Pokémon, its fist bathed in a bright white light. Despite the fact that Muk was made of sludge, it took the attack like it was a solid Pokémon. Once knocked out by the attack, it was recalled to its Pokeball. As the Rockets tried to escape, Max had another plan for them.

"_Alright Butterfree, knock them out with your Sleep Powder!"_

A blue powder covered the Rockets like a blanket, sending them to sleep within a matter of seconds. The older woman who ran the daycare called for the police to take the Rockets away. Ron hoped it was for good this time, but he did not get his hopes up about that.

Ron and Max had to again get much praise from the old couple before they finally told them that they had to be on their way. They had a lot of training to do before Ron challenged the Vermillion City gym leader. He hoped that most of that training would be possible aboard the S.S. Anne. With his newly evolved Raichu at his side, he set off for a new adventure aboard a cruise ship of epic proportion.

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**Notes:**

- I liked writing notes so much that I decided to continue using them.

- I said there would be major changes to Ron's team in Vermillion City. You got to enjoy two of these changes already.

- The final change will be an evolution to one of his existing Pokémon.

- The S.S. Anne chapter will not be the evolution chapter, but expect a return of both Vincent and Samantha.


	13. Crusing Along to Victory

**Chapter 13**

**Cruising Along to Victory!**

Ron and Max rushed towards the dock, hoping that they would get to the S.S. Anne in time for the Pokémon Trainer-only party that they had been lucky enough to get tickets for. They were looking for somewhere labeled Dock 8, where the S.S. Anne was staying until it was ready to go back out to sea.

"_Hey Ron, shouldn't you be more careful with that egg? I'd hate to think of the outcome if you dropped it," _warned Max, noticing his friend cradling the egg case between his arms.

"_You act like I'm irresponsible or something. I'm pretty sure I know how to take care of this precious cargo."_

"_Whatever you say man, whatever you say." _Max could not help but laugh when Ron mentioned the word irresponsible. After all, Ron did appear to be that type of person.

The two trainers were lucky to arrive at the dock just in time. They made their way to a long metal ramp that took them to the main deck of the ship. At the top was a man, waiting for trainers to hand him their tickets. As Ron and Max handed him their tickets, they really hoped the tickets they were given were legit, otherwise they'd be in a bit of trouble.

"_Alright boys, you're all good to go," _said the man, handing them back their tickets. Ron sighed in relief, glad that they really would get to enjoy the ship.

They followed signs that had been placed along the ship, meant to lead visiting trainers to the main hall of the ship. Eventually they reached the large glass double doors of the main hall. Ron could not believe his eyes. There must have been at least two dozen battlefields set up in the hall, along with table after table of buffet offerings for trainers. While Max ran off for the food, Ron headed over to a familiar face near one of the battlefields.

"_Hey Vincent, it's been a long time, hasn't it?"_

"_It sure has been. I take it you've been wasting your time around Kanto trying to earn badges?"_ asked Vincent.

"_Well aren't you the same? It just so happens that I've earned two badges so far, and once I'm done on this ship, I'll be heading back into the city to earn my third."_

Vincent looked a bit surprised, clearly believing that Ron was an incapable trainer who would not even be able to earn a single badge. They two trainers stood around awkwardly for awhile, not having anything to say to each other. It was then that Max came over to them with a girl. She was wearing the same tattered looking jeans and black sleeveless shirt as before, but instead of her yellow scarf, she wore a green colored one. Ron thought it matched her eyes quite well.

"_Look who I found here! You remember Samantha, right?"_ asked Max.

Ron wanted to hit his friend in the face, right then and there. How could he have forgotten Samantha? She was the cute looking girl they had met on Nugget Bridge. Although he would not admit this to Max at the time, he even felt as though he was getting a slight crush on the girl. He was pleased to see that she seemed excited to see him, and even more pleased to see the look of disgust she gave Vincent.

"_I thought I told you to never show your face around me again,"_ said Samantha to Vincent. He looked at her with a bit of shock, expecting his asshole ways to charm her somehow. It may have worked on most girls, but she was different.

Ron sensed conflict, so he intervened. _"Can't we all just get along? If you want me to, I'll even kick this guy's ass in a battle. Would you like that Samantha?"_

She laughed, telling Ron to do whatever he wanted to Vincent. Ron was glad to take his rival on. They had only battled once, and Ron wanted to give his newly evolved Raichu a chance to get some payback on Mankey for the last battle. He figured the evolution would change the outcome of the battle.

Vincent turned to Ron, saying, _"That sounds good to me. I guess I could kick your sorry ass across this ship if that's what you want."_

Ron said nothing in return, simply walking to his side of the field. Vincent did the same and prepared for the battle. They would battle using standard Pokémon League rules, using three Pokémon each. For his first choice, Ron opted to use his Spearow. In return, Vincent sent out his newly evolved Pidgeotto. The changed bird was at least three times larger than it was in its original form. It was colored about the same, except the tail feathers on this Pokémon were both tan and red. Obviously his rival had done some training since their last encounter.

"_Well how do you like that? Your Spearow hasn't evolved, while my Pidgey evolved just days after our last battle," _taunted Vincent.

"_Evolution doesn't mean anything! I'll take you on no matter how many times your Pidgey evolves." _Ron tried not to let Vincent's taunting get to him. _"Spearow, let's start things off. Lunge at Pidgeotto beak-first. Give it your all!"_

Vincent smirked. He was obviously amused by Ron's attempts. He ordered his bird to swerve out of harm's way, and then to counter with a Wing Attack. The attack left Spearow plummeting to the ground. Ron's opponent was not done yet, as he ordered his Pokémon to finish Spearow off with a Quick Attack. A stream of white light followed Pidgeotto as it threw itself towards Spearow, finishing off the bird without much of a challenge.

"_Hmmph. I told you that Spearow wouldn't have a chance. Can't you at least put up a fight?"_

"_I'll do more than that. Let me introduce you to my newly evolved Pokémon. Come on out Raichu!"_

Ron's electric rodent prepared itself for battle, showing off its immense energy as sparks flew from its cheeks. Ron immediately ordered his Pokémon to strike Pidgeotto with a Thunderbolt attack, not giving time for Vincent to send Pidgeotto to charge at his Raichu. The attack did critical damage to the winged Pokémon, leaving Vincent frustrated with the current situation.

"_Shake it off Pidgeotto! Show Raichu that type advantages don't scare us. Use your Wing Attack!"_

Ron replied, _"Don't give him a chance to even touch you. Attack with Thunderbolt once more and then end this with a Mega Punch attack!"_

Pidgeotto was once again hurt by the Thunderbolt attack. It was really a surprise that the flying Pokémon had been able to endure the same powerful attack twice in a row. Vincent had obviously trained his Pokémon well; however, when Raichu made contact with its glowing fist, the struggle was over. Pidgeotto fainted on impact.

"_Well that was luck for you. You won't get off so easily with my next Pokémon." _Vincent grabbed another Pokeball from his belt. _"Let's do this Wartortle!" _

Vincent had clearly done some serious training since his defeat in Pewter City. His second Pokémon was the evolved form of Squirtle, the Pokémon he had received as his starter choice in Viridian City. Once again, his new Pokémon seemed to have tripled in size. It grow strange rudder like parts where ears would go, which went along nicely with the new white tail it grow on it's behind. Ron felt fortunate that his Pikachu had evolved to Raichu before he got on the ship.

Ron said, _"I know we have the type advantage, but let's try something different." _He recalled his electric Pokémon to its Pokeball. _"Let's show 'em what you've got Krabby!"_

Vincent grinned, as he thought he would have no chance against Raichu. _"Start things off with an Aqua Jet attack!"_

The turtle Pokémon used a stream of water to propel itself towards Krabby. Ron ordered his Pokémon to brace itself, hardening its body to withstand the collision. Krabby was pushed backwards slightly, but still had some fight left in it. Wartortle was left vulnerable after attacking.

"_Crabhammer attack now! You can do it!"_

Wartortle's defense mirrored Krabby's, which allowed it to endure the blow well enough to fight for a bit longer. Both water Pokémon fired a stream of bubbles in each other's direction, but the attacks collided in the air and never reached their target. These two Pokémon were evenly matched. The trainers saw this, so they both recalled their Pokémon to their respective Pokeballs.

Ron only had one Pokémon to choose from, so he sent Raichu back into the fight. Vincent sent his third Pokémon to the field, a small puppy Pokémon by the name of Growlithe. This one looked much stronger than the last one that Ron had gone up against, clearly showing an eagerness to put up a fight.

"_Raichu, use a Thunderbolt attack, followed by a Quick Attack!"_

"_Growlithe, use a Flame Wheel attack. Go right through that electricity."_

Growlithe wrapped itself in flames, and then rolled towards Raichu. The electric rodent managed to land a Thunderbolt attack, and then charged head on at full speed. The collision was fierce, but Raichu was trained much better. It got up first, though was burned badly by the flames. Ron was concerned, so he recalled Raichu and sent out his Krabby once more.

Vincent did nothing, which might have been what cost him this round of the battle. His Growlithe was hit by just one Bubblebeam attack before collapsing from exhaustion. For once, Ron had the edge in the fight, but he still felt concerned. Wartortle was powerful, maybe even powerful enough to take down his Raichu.

"_This isn't over yet. Let's see if you can take down my first and best Pokémon." _He clenched a Pokeball in his hands, ready for a showdown. _"I'm leaving it up to you Wartortle. I know you can do it!"_

But Ron did not want him to do it. He ordered his Krabby to attack with a Crabhammer attack. The attacked missed, showing off Wartortle's impressive speed. For a turtle, this Pokémon moved quite fast. A stream of water was then sent in Krabby's direction. The crab Pokémon endured the blow, but it was the attack that followed up the water which was the undoing of Ron's Pokémon. Wartortle lowered its head, then charged head on at Krabby, literally.

"_And just like that, we're equal again. What do you think about that Ron?" _taunted his rival.

"_I think that this is about to end….with me winning!"_

On the sideline, Max and Samantha discussed the situation that was unfolding. Both of them knew that this fight would be close. There was no clear winner in this matchup, despite the alarming type advantage that Raichu possessed against Wartortle.

"_Ron's Raichu just evolved the other day. It should be interesting to see how it does in an extended battle," _commented Max.

"_That's really fantastic that his Pokémon evolved. It should help him out today. So far Raichu has looked really solid, even considering that Pidgeotto had a disadvantage," _replied Samantha, hoping that Ron could take down Vincent.

"_Thunderbolt seems to work well, so let's use it again!"_

Raichu charged up electricity before firing it towards its opponent. The turtle Pokémon avoided the attack easily. Ron noticed that his Pokémon was suffering from the burns.

Wartortle countered with its Water Gun attack, soaking Raichu in the process. The water seemed to ease the burns slightly, but Raichu was still in a lot of pain. Ron had to end this quickly.

"_Alright Wartortle, let's give them no chance to recover. Use an Ice Beam attack!"_

Vincent's Pokémon fired a beam of pure ice energy at Raichu, freezing the Pokémon in place. Ron then watched in fear as the turtle lowered its head once more, prepared to end this battle once and for all.

Without hesitation, Ron ordered his Pokémon to use a Thunderbolt attack. Wartortle was clearly in pain because of the strong electric attack, but it proceeded to collide into Raichu, freeing it from the ice in the process.

Both trainers urged their Pokémon to continue fighting, but it was no use. Raichu and Wartortle collapsed to the grounded, knocked out from sheer exhaustion that the fight had inflicted. The two Pokémon were recalled to their Pokeballs.

Vincent said, _"Ron, I have to acknowledge that you did decent out there. However, you really should have been able to take down a water type Pokémon with an electric type. That was pretty pathetic."_

Suddenly, Samantha joined in the conversation, alive with frustration. _"You're just pissed off because you didn't win the fight. You're the pathetic one."_

Vincent walked away, muttering something about not wanting to waste his time arguing. Ron thanked Samantha for backing him up, offering to walk with her over to the buffet table for a quick meal. The young trainer felt as though he got some well deserved training in during his stay on the cruise liner, despite the fact that he would not be able to enjoy the ship on an actual trip.

He really wished that he had gotten a chance to spend some time with Samantha, but he was certain that he would get another chance at that in the future. They said their goodbyes, then Ron and Max set off for the Pokémon Center, where they would stay the night before heading off to challenge the Vermillion City gym leader in the morning.

-----------------------------------------------

**Notes:**

- Next chapter will include the gym battle and evolution…but not when you expect it.

- Should start writing chapters on some kind of schedule. I blame school for the lack of work.

- People should also read "Rise to the Top" by Blue Bongo. It's bloody brilliant.


	14. Who's Kingler Now?

**Chapter 14**

**Who's King(ler) Now?**

Ron wasted almost no time at the Pokémon center that morning. Anticipation was killing him as he rushed to the front desk to pick up his Pokémon for the upcoming gym battle. As he greeted Nurse Joy, he noticed a strange look upon her face, one of concern and uneasiness. She addressed him, explaining her facial expressions.

"_We were taking care of your Pokémon when all of a sudden; your Krabby started acting up. After running tests, it became obvious that there was no serious or minor problem with your Pokémon. Actually, we've come to the conclusion that your Pokémon should be evolving soon."_

"_Evolving?!" _asked Ron with a bit of shock. _"But I've only been training Krabby for two weeks now. Sure, we've been through some intense battles, but I never expected an evolution from my newest Pokémon."_

"_It's really common, actually," _responded the nurse. _"If a Pokémon is exposed to intense conditions time and time again, it eventually realizes that it needs to change in order to reduce the stress level that high caliber battles bring."_

With that said, she handed Ron a tray. Resting upon the tray were the four Pokeballs of Ron's Pokémon. The Pokémon egg that contained his next Pokémon came along with them. He figured that leaving the egg with the Pokémon Center overnight would help its cause.

"_Nurse Joy, do you think you could take care of my Pokémon Egg while I'm at the gym today?" _asked Ron.

"_It would be my pleasure."_

"_Thanks a lot."_

Ron placed the Pokeballs containing Raichu, Spearow, and Bulbasaur onto his belt, but left the one containing Krabby on the tray for a moment before picking it up and opening it, thus releasing the Pokémon inside. His crab Pokémon greeted him happily before beginning to glow brightly. He had witnessed this once before with his Pikachu when it evolved to Raichu, but he had the strangest feeling that this phenomenon would never get old. Krabby grew at least twice in size before the glowing ceased, revealing a more powerful crab Pokémon.

"_That Pokémon is Kingler, the evolved form of Krabby," _informed Nurse Joy to the confused rookie trainer in front of her.

Ron patted his newly evolved Pokémon on the head, reminding it that since it evolved, he would be using it during the upcoming gym battle. Sure, he knew that the gym leader here in Vermillion City trained electric type Pokémon, but he still felt as though the strength of his newly evolved Pokémon would aid him in gaining a victory today. If it was a three on three battle, he would have to use either Spearow or Kingler anyway, so why not go with the recently evolved of the two?

Just then, an exhausted looking Max walked out into the lobby. He took one look at Kingler, rubbed his eyes, and then glanced at the large crab yet again. His shock and awe upon realizing that Ron's Pokémon had evolved was quite obvious. He walked around Kingler a few times, pointing out differences between Krabby and Kingler. Ron did not pay that much attention, as he was ordering breakfast at the counter in the cafeteria.

Ron and Max made sure they finished eating quickly, as they wanted to get the gym battle out of the way. If they finished early enough, they could have time to do nothing for the rest of the evening. They found the gym without much difficulty. Inside was a small lobby, typical of a Pokémon Gym. The receptionist was more than happy to schedule Ron for a gym battle right away, as they had not gotten a single challenge in over a week.

When they made it to the actual battlefield, they were greeted by a large muscular man wearing what looked like an old army uniform. His bright yellow hair was spiked up to the point where Ron feared it could puncture skin. Despite the tough exterior of this gym leader, he seemed to be a pretty nice guy.

"_It's nice to meet you two. My name's Lt. Surge. I'm a war veteran and gym leader of Vermillion City. Which one of you kids are here to challenge my gym?" _he asked.

Ron stepped forward, reaching his hand to shake the gym leader's strong hand. _"That would be me. My name's Ron Kinesis, from Saffron City."_

"_Did you just say your last name's Kinesis? That must mean you're related to the Saffron City gym leader. Am I right?"_

Ron felt a little awkward. He never liked to talk about his family that much, but since he made it a point to mention his last name, he deserved this. After giving a slight nod, Lt. Surge gave a smile and stated how close of friends he was with Ron's father. 

The gym leader then said that it would be an honor to have a battle with someone in the Kinesis family, so he immediately summoned the referee for the gym, a young man named Mark with brown hair as spiked as the gym leader's hair.

"_This will be a three on three battle with no time limit. Only the challenger may substitute Pokémon at any time. The match is over when one side has no useable Pokémon remaining. Are both trainers ready?"_ After receiving a nod from both sides of the field, Mark raised his flags in the air, red for Lt. Surge and green for Ron. _"Let the match begin!"_

"_Let's get this started Voltorb!" _shouted the gym leader as he sent out the Pokeball shaped Pokémon.

"_Prepare for battle Kingler!" _shouted Ron as he sent out his newly evolved Pokémon.

"_A water type Pokémon? That's pretty interesting. You can attack first, Ron."_

"_Well then, let's start this off well. Use Bubblebeam attack!"_

Lt. Surge ordered his Pokémon to simply avoid the attack, which it did. The impressive speed of this Voltorb would make it difficult to take down. Ron had an idea of how to take it on. As Lt. Surge ordered his Pokémon to charge itself up, Ron told Kingler to ready a Crabhammer attack.

"_Voltorb, let's give Kingler a taste of your Spark attack!" _

"_Kingler, time your Crabhammer perfectly and you'll be fine!"_

Voltorb was far too quick for Kingler to keep up with. The electric Pokémon charged at the crab full-force, inflicting critical damage upon impact. Ron pleaded with his Pokémon to pull itself together and continue fighting, which it managed to do with a bit of a struggle.

"_You're wearing it down. Use another Spark attack and finish it!"_

"_Do the same as before Kingler," _said Ron, hoping the gamble would pay off.

Kingler got it right the second time, striking Voltorb with its powerful claw. The Pokeball shaped Pokémon was thrown back into the gym wall, adding to the damage that the initial impact caused. Within seconds, a green flag was waved in Ron's direction.

"_Voltorb is unable to battle! The winner is Kingler!"_

Lt. Surge grinned as he recalled his defeated Pokémon. _"Well Ron, that was impressive. It's not every day that some kid with a water type Pokémon comes in here and finishes off even one of my Pokémon. However, this fight is far from over. Let's see what you can do against my second Pokémon. Go Magneton!"_

"_You still wanna go at it Kingler?" _asked Ron. His Pokémon nodded back at him. _"Alright then, we can start this off with a Bubblebeam attack!"_

"_Fight back with Magnet Bomb attack!"_

A stream of bubbles erupted from Kingler's mouth, while Magneton fired off glowing energy. The Magnet Bomb attack easily destroyed the Bubblebeam attack. When Ron saw the inevitable collision between the attack and Kingler, he ordered the crab to use Harden and brace for impact. In the end, his Pokémon was still standing…barely.

"_End it with a Thunderbolt attack!"_

"_Attack with Bubblebeam!"_

This time, Kingler managed to land a hit on Magneton. It did not seem to matter much, as Magneton was resistant to the attack. On the other hand, Kingler was quickly finished off by the electric attack. It was no surprise to anyone watching the battle, but Ron still did not enjoy watching his Pokémon suffer.

"_Kingler is unable to battle! The winner is Magneton!"_

Ron returned Kingler to its Pokeball. _"Thanks a lot buddy. You did good out there today, and we'll do even better in the future…I promise." _He then grabbed a second Pokeball from his belt. _"Bulbasaur, you're up!" _

"_So you're going with a grass type Pokémon, eh Ron?" _asked Lt. Surge.

"_Not just a grass type Pokémon, but a good one at that. Show Magneton how good your Razor Leaf attack is!"_

"_Counter with a Magnet Bomb barrage."_

The leaves and energy bombs struck in midair, causing a slight explosion. Luckily for Ron and Lt. Surge, neither of their Pokémon were injured by these minor explosions. Both ordered the same attacks, and then both received the same results. As soon as Ron noticed this was going nowhere fast, he ordered a change from his Pokémon.

"_Grab onto Magneton with your vines, and then knock it out with a Sleep Powder!"_

"_Don't worry about the vines. Let them grab you, and then let loose a Thunderbolt attack."_

Ron mentally kicked himself for that mistake. After years of watching Pokémon battles, he should have known that a tactic of that sort would be used. He had even used that strategy when he caught Bulbasaur. But he had a plan.

"_Keep your feet firmly planted on the ground. Hopefully that'll help you endure the shocks. Just focus and pull Magneton in!"_

The gamble paid off, at least long enough for Ron's Bulbasaur to drag Magneton into range. The blue powder emitted by Bulbasaur put the magnet trio to sleep, but at the same time, the electricity generated by its sleeping foe was enough to paralyze Bulbasaur temporarily.

For now, things were in Ron's favor. Mark raised a flag in Ron's direction, saying, _"Magneton is unable to battle! The winner is Bulbasaur!"_

"_Well done Magneton, you put up quite a fight," _said the gym leader as he recalled his sleeping Pokémon. _"Let's see how you handle my best Pokémon. I give you…Electabuzz!" _

Lt. Surge's final Pokémon was an electric yellow Pokémon with a black lightning bolt image across the chest, a striped tail, and antennas that Ron assumed were used to generate power. The Pokémon was standing about three and a half feet tall, much bulkier than any Pokémon Ron had with him at the time, but regardless he felt as though he could end this battle.

"_Bulbasaur, use a Razor Leaf attack," _ordered Ron, knowing that the paralysis would prevent Bulbasaur from doing much movement at all in this fight.

"_Electabuzz, show off your Thunderpunch attack!"_

Electabuzz ran through the fury of leaves, its fist charged with electric power. Once the fist came in contact with Bulbasaur, Ron knew that it was over for his grass Pokémon. The powerful electric attacks that this gym had to offer were more than enough to take down even a resistant Pokémon.

"_Bulbasaur is unable to battle! The winner is Electabuzz."_

On the sidelines, Max was observing the battle. He saw that Ron was putting up a good fight, but it would take a lot from Raichu to actually win this battle. There would be no way that Ron would use Spearow in this battle, so his only option was to match an electric type Pokémon with one of his own.

"_Alright Raichu, it's all up to you!" _yelled Ron as he sent out his starter Pokémon to do battle with the gym leader's most powerful Pokémon.

Lt. Surge acknowledged Ron's Raichu. _"That looks like a well trained electric type Pokémon. I think it'll take a lot out of my Electabuzz if I want to win this fight. It all comes down to who wants it more."_

To this, Ron replied, _"Well I know I want it more, so we can win this. Raichu, start things off with a Double Team tactic. After that, fire a Thunderbolt at Electabuzz."_

Multiple copies of Raichu surrounded a confused Electabuzz. Things got a bit crazy when all of the copies fired the same attack at the electric Pokémon in the middle of all of it. Lt. Surge and his Pokémon could not distinguish the copies from the real Raichu, so there was nothing they could do but resist the attack and think of a counter strategy.

"_You're going to have to do more than that to take down my Electabuzz. Use a Shock Wave attack to strike the real Raichu, and then attack with a Thunderpunch attack!"_

Electabuzz fired off a quick burst of electric power, finding its mark and hitting the real Raichu. As soon as the electric Pokémon discovered the location of its opponent, it charged up energy in its left fist as it rushed towards Raichu. Ron did not lose focus at all, ordering a Quick attack to avoid contact with Electabuzz, and then another Thunderbolt attack.

"_Ron, you're going to have to figure out another way to hit my Electabuzz. You can't rely on these avoidance tactics for long, you know," _taunted Lt. Surge. _"Use your own Quick Attack to get close, then hit with another Thunderpunch attack!"_

Ron knew this would be close, so he ordered Raichu to speed up using Agility. His rodent Pokémon glowed bright green before having enough speed to sweep past Electabuzz. After missing the attack, Electabuzz needed a moment to recover. Raichu began to charge energy in its fist for a Mega Punch attack, which hit Electabuzz square in the back.

Lt. Surge pleaded with his Pokémon to pull it together, but the last attack by Raichu was more than enough to make his Pokémon unconscious. As Mark once again waved a flag in Ron's direction, he declared Electabuzz unable to battle and Raichu the winner.

"_That was impressive. Obviously your Raichu is built for speed, and with a pinch of power thrown in there, the sky's the limit for what you can do. I hope that today I got a chance to battle with the future Kanto League champion. And believe me, your father is going to hear about your victory here today."_

Ron grinned, saying, _"Just drop him an email or something. I'm sure if he isn't super busy with his gym, he'll get to it. Or just ask Sabrina to take care of it. He actually listens to her…mostly."_

Sensing s bit of awkwardness, Lt. Surge reached in his pocket for a small yellow badge. It was shaped like a starburst, and it was called the Thunder Badge. As he handed it to Ron, he congratulated the young trainer on earning his third badge, which was quite the accomplishment.

"_The next place you'll want to go is either Celadon City or Saffron City. Either one has a Pokémon gym…but of course you're familiar with the gym system in Kanto," _said Lt. Surge, clearly forgetting that he was talking with the son of a gym leader.

Ron and Max left the Vermillion City gym for the Pokémon Center, where they planned on having a great lunch before a bit of training in the afternoon. By the next day they would be on the road to Lavender Town, which required them to pass through the Rock Tunnel, a dark and mysterious place where countless trainers have gotten lost over the years.

-----------------------------------------------

**Notes:**

- Yeah I'm back after awhile. College is a bitch sometimes. At least I'm holding onto a 4.0 GPA.

- Not a bad battle in my opinion. I plan on there being at least five chapters before the fourth gym battle, which will be Celadon City.

- Reviews would be appreciated.


	15. Crawling in the Dark

**Chapter 15**

**Crawling in the Dark**

Ron and Max pressed along, trying to make their way to the Rock Tunnel before nightfall. If it took them too long, they would just stop at the convenient Pokémon Center next to the tunnel. Either way, it was a straining walk north to the location of the tunnel entrance.

Holding his badge case in his hands, Ron admired the three badges he had earned so far. As he glanced at each badge, memories of his battles overwhelmed him. His first victory was in Pewter City, where his Pikachu finished off Kabuto. Second was Cerulean City; Bulbasaur finished what Krabby had started, knocking out Golduck for the victory. Finally, he had taken down the Vermillion City gym leader's Electabuzz with his own electric type Pokémon Raichu.

For what it was worth, Max had taken up the duty of carrying the Pokémon Egg that they had been taking care of. As they had left the Pokémon Center that morning, Nurse Joy informed the two trainers that whatever Pokémon was in the egg would be emerging soon.

"_You should be careful with that badge case. You wouldn't want to lose it," _warned Max.

To this, Ron replied, _"That isn't going to happen, but I'll be safe and put it back in my backpack."_

He quickly placed the case into his backpack, ensuring that he would be okay with where it was unless someone beat him up and took his possessions. It had been awhile since Ron or Max had encountered a trainer on the road, minus the rich boy with the Growlithe that Ron did not even get a proper fight against.

His luck would change as he encountered a rather large man with a beard. This trainer appeared to be ready to climb mountains or traverse through dark caves. He also appeared to be a quality Pokémon trainer with Pokeballs along his belt.

"_Why hello there young men!" _boomed the man. Ron was pretty sure people back in Vermillion City heard that hello. _"Would either of you happen to be Pokémon trainers?"_

Ron had no hesitation, approaching the man with a Pokeball in his hand. _"I happen to be a Pokémon trainer, and I'd be more than happy to have a battle against you. How does a one on one battle sound?"_

The man smiled, reaching for a Pokeball at his belt. He sent out the Pokémon, one that resembled a human quite well. Max recognized this gray colored muscular Pokémon as a Machop. Ron knew just the Pokémon to face off against this fighting Pokémon, sending out his Spearow to do battle.

"_Technically I challenged you, so I'll give you the honor of the first attack here," _said Ron as he gestured to the hiker.

"_Very well then," _responded the trainer. _"Leer at that Spearow. Follow that off with a Karate Chop."_

Machop glared at Spearow, startling it and lowering its defenses long enough for a follow up attack. The superpower Pokémon rushed at Spearow, striking down hard with its right arm. Spearow flapped in the air for a few moments, clearly in pain from the powerful blow it had suffered from.

"_Let's try something new Spearow. Use your Mirror Move to copy Karate Chop, and then follow up with an Aerial Ace!"_

Spearow began to glow, indicating that Mirror Move had worked. The bird Pokémon dived down towards Machop, and then struck the superpower Pokémon with one of its wings. The attack was not as effective as it would be if Spearow was used to the technique, but damage was dealt. Spearow then retreated to the sky, only to dive downward at impressive velocity. The second hit was super effective towards the fighting type Pokémon, putting the hurt on much more than a copied Karate Chop did.

"_Well I must say that was impressive, but it's time I end this struggle. Machop, grab Spearow and hurl it to the ground with a Seismic Toss!"_

Ron had seen this attack once before. Vincent's Mankey used it to finish off his Pikachu in Pewter City, but he would not let that happen to his Spearow. _"You gotta be quick! Jab Machop in the face with your beak!"_

An effective counter to Machop's maneuver saved the bird Pokémon from being finished off. Being jabbed in the face was enough for Machop to lose focus and lose any chance of getting a grip on Ron's tricky Pokémon. It was not over yet, but Ron had an idea of how to finish this.

"_We haven't done this in awhile, but I think it'll end it. Use a Steel Wing attack on Machop. You can do it!"_

Spearow's wings glowed brightly; giving off an energy that Ron hoped would be enough to end the battle. Machop was still in pain from the Peck attack, making it the opportune time to strike. Ron's idea paid off, as Steel Wing attack caused Machop to drop to its knees. After struggling to get to its feet for a few moments, the superpower Pokémon collapsed in defeat. As the hiker recalled his Pokémon, he approached Ron to congratulate him.

"_You did well out there. Hopefully the two of us will have another battle in the future, and maybe I'll win that one."_

They shook hands before saying their goodbyes. Ron was pleased to see that Spearow did well in that battle. He had not really gotten good fights in with his bird Pokémon recently, as its last battle was a defeat at the hands of Vincent's Pidgeotto. Max shared that opinion.

"_Spearow does really well against Pokémon like Machop. It's a shame that it couldn't finish off Pidgeotto in that last battle, but I'm sure you'll get another chance to build on the rivalry between the two flying type Pokémon."_

Ron did nothing but nod, unwilling to acknowledge the tie he had against Vincent on the S.S. Anne. He was better than what he did back on that ship, and he knew that. When he met up with Vincent again, he would do better…much better.

It took about thirty minutes to shake off the thoughts of Vincent, and another thirty to reach the direct path to the Rock Tunnel. Max estimated it would take them about two more hours to reach their destination. It was about four hours to sundown, which aided their cause. A quick stop in the Pokémon Center would be all they needed before taking off through the tunnel.

The walk dragged on for what seemed like forever. It was an exceptionally hot day, making seconds feel like minutes and minutes feel like hours. When they finally made it to the Pokémon Center, they bathed in the wonder of air conditioning for at least twenty minutes before they approached the front desk. The lobby was void of any other people, meaning that they had either arrived after the huge rush, or not many trainers made it out here on a daily basis.

"_So where is everyone?" _asked Ron.

"_This is how it normally is here at the Rock Tunnel Pokémon Center. Most trainers pass us by because they feel like they can handle the tunnel without a rest," _replied Nurse Joy as she was handed trays that held both trainer's Pokémon. She took a moment to observe the egg, and then said, _"This egg is quite close to hatching. You say you only had this egg for a few days, but clearly it had been taken care of for a bit of time before then."_

This filled Ron with great anticipation. He assumed that, based off the marks on the egg, it would be a fire type Pokémon that finally would emerge from the egg. This would be helpful in the Celadon City gym, as the leader specialized in grass Pokémon. Between this fire Pokémon and Spearow, Ron felt as though he had a fair chance of winning the battle.

After the nurse returned with their Pokémon, they thanked her and headed off to the cafeteria for a quick meal. Their quick stay in the Pokémon Center was to be followed by an intense trip through the Rock Tunnel, so they made sure to eat as much as they could for energy, but not too much that they would have stomach pains.

"_Well…you ready for this Max?" _asked Ron.

"_I don't see any other options for us," _replied Max.

"_I was afraid you'd say that," _complained Ron, only to get a laugh from Max.

As they entered the tunnel, they were greeted by nothing but darkness. Upon Ron's suggestion, Max sent out his Charmander. The flame at the tip of the lizard's tail provided them with enough light to see in the distance. A Zubat flapped over to where they were, clearly attracted by the flame produced by Charmander. Ron quickly noticed that the Pokémon would become a threat, but Max noticed more quickly.

"_Charmander, attack that Zubat with an Ember attack!"_

Fire spewed from Charmander's mouth, engulfing the bat Pokémon momentarily. The flames were enough to take out Charmander's foe, which clearly had not been exposed to many battles in the past.

"_That's the one benefit of cave Pokémon," _said Max, _"They have little battle experience, if any." _

"_Try telling that to my sister Sabrina. I heard she got into a bit of trouble on Victory Road with some cave Pokémon," _said Ron.

"_Those Pokémon were much more powerful, that's why the Pokémon League made that cave into the 'Victory Road.' It serves as a final test for trainers that want to challenge the Elite Four after winning the Pokémon League competition." _Max then paused for a moment. _"How'd your sister do against the Elite Four, anyway?"_

Ron smiled, _"She made it through the first two battles. Once she had to face off against ghost Pokémon, most of her strategies became useless. I hear that she's begun to train Pokémon of different types in order to prepare for a second challenge of the Elite Four."_

"_Don't you have a lot to live up to?" _asked Max.

"_I don't follow the pace of those who went before me. I make my own path," _said Ron coldly. He usually was not like this, but over the years he had heard far too much about how great his father or sister had done.

The two pressed forward without talking, in the process managed to find a ladder that took them to the lower level of the cave. There were a few people training in this area, though none of them seemed eager to have battles. Some complained about not preparing well enough for the cave, some asked for a way out. Max kindly aided these travelers, while Ron remained unusually quiet.

After awhile, Max decided to confront Ron about his silence. He replied, _"Cave Pokémon are sensitive to noises. If we talk to loudly or too frequently, it would cause an uproar among these creatures. I'm not pushing to be assaulted by wild Pokémon. I save that for trainers. Why harass nature?"_

This had been a strong debate among Pokémon trainers during the last meeting between the four major regions that took place two years ago. Ron heard all too much about this event from his father, who was the Saffron City representative for the conference. It was not in Ron's nature to want to attack wild Pokémon, though capturing Pokémon that he felt would aid him was not out of question. Catch too many Pokémon and you ruin the environment, catch not enough and you would have no chance in competitive battles. This dilemma was one of concern to Ron.

Max whispered to Ron, _"I understand what you mean. I only want to study Pokémon, not force them to battle. Though it would appear the Pokémon you've trained enjoy battling. My Charmander doesn't mind it, but I wouldn't risk its safety in a intense gym battle."_

Ron smiled, thanking Max for his understanding. The two trainers had become close friends over the last few weeks, mostly because they saw eye to eye about most subjects. The intellectual ability that Max possessed complimented Ron's natural talent with Pokémon quite well, at least to the point where Ron believed that he would be a competent Pokémon trainer and Max believed he would be an effective researcher.

Wandering in the dark for about an hour led to Ron and Max discovering let another ladder. This one took them back to the ground level, though on the other side of the tunnel. It was only a matter of time before they found the "light at the end of the tunnel." Ron felt relieved, taking a break on a small boulder outside of the tunnel. When he was least expecting it, the egg that he had been taking care of began to glow.

"_Quick Ron, you have to take the protective case off the container. And while you're at it, ready a Pokeball," _urged Max. Ron did as his friend suggested, he felt more than prepared to see what Pokémon would soon be his. The egg slowly began to take the shape of a Pokémon, one that caused Ron to feel a slight increase in the temperature around him.

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**Notes:**

- Yay cliffhanger. It would appear as though the new Pokémon is a fire type.

- So it's hatching rather quickly, but that would be because the people at the day care had been watching over this egg for awhile when they handed it over to Ron.

- I've finally begun to elaborate on Ron's family life. Yes…the Sabrina I'm talking about parallels the one in the Pokémon video games.

- I used one of my favorite songs as the title for this chapter. There's a personal win for me.

- I didn't write two chapters in a day. Chapter 14 was written last night, but I was too lazy to upload it till this morning.

- Reviews are always appreciated. Oh yeah and tell your friends about my fan fiction. I like readers.


	16. Blaze of Glory!

**Chapter 16**

**Blaze of Glory!**

Clenching a Pokeball in his hand, he prepared for the arrival of his newest Pokémon. The glowing ceased, revealing a small flaming Pokémon. Upon its chest was yellow, contrasting the bright orange flamed that danced on its body. The Pokémon let out a cry, frightened by the new surroundings it encountered.

"_And this is where the lack of hesitation comes it," _said Ron. _"I'll catch this new Pokémon with this Pokeball!" _He shouted as he hurled the Pokeball at the newly born fire Pokémon. Obviously the new Pokémon had no clue how to resist capture, and therefore was easily captured by the young trainer.

"_Wow!"_ exclaimed Max. _"That's Magby, and I hear they're pretty rare around these parts. If you train it well, it should evolve to the powerful Magmar."_

Ron grinned as he sent out his newly captured Pokémon. Lowering himself down to eye level with his new Pokémon, he introduced himself. Magby's first reaction was to spew flames at Ron, which he barely avoided.

"_That was a Flamethrower attack. It's pretty unusual for a newborn Pokémon to know an attack like that unless the parents knew the attack first. I wonder what else Magby has up its sleeve that its parents passed down."_

"_Let's just hope its parents didn't know Hyper Beam," _joked Ron as he lifted up his new Pokémon. The flames were not as hot as he expected them to be, so he assumed that the fire Pokémon was born with some ability to control the flames around its body. _"We should make our way to Lavender Town now, shouldn't we?"_ asked Ron.

"_We might as well. Nurse Joy should get a look at Magby to see if everything's okay for the little guy."_

The Rock Tunnel exit they had used was a short walk from Lavender Town. Despite the fact that Ron was carrying a forty seven pound baby with him, they found it simple to reach where they wanted to go. Before they could look around for the Pokémon Center, a Gastly approached them. The ghost Pokémon terrified the young Magby, who unleashed let another Flamethrower attack.

"_Well that only served to piss off this random Gastly," _said Ron as the ghost Pokémon came in closer.

"_You think I should try to fight it?" _asked Max.

Before Ron could give a response, they heard a familiar voice in the distance. This voice belonged to none other than Samantha, the girl they had encountered twice before. She was wearing the same black and yellow attire that she had been wearing the day she met Ron and Max.

She ran towards Gastly, seemingly out of breath. _"I'm sorry. I guess my Gastly wandered off without me."_ Looking up at the two trainers, she immediately recognized them as Ron and Max. _"Ron! Max! How have you two been?"_

"_We've been just fine. I won the my third Pokémon League badge back in Vermillion City," _responded Ron.

"_That's not bad at all. I see you've got a new friend there. Where'd you catch a Magby?"_

"_Remember that Pokémon egg I had? Well it hatched, and now it's a little Magby. Not ready for battle yet, but as you can see, it wasn't afraid to attack your Gastly." _The ghost Pokémon did not seem amused by what Ron said, but it kept itself together. After all, in their last encounter, it had taken out Ron's Spearow without too much of an effort.

She led the two trainers to the Pokémon Center, where Nurse Joy declared Magby to be in perfect health. When Ron mentioned that his Pokémon already could use Flamethrower, she did not seem surprised at all.

"_I noticed that this Magby seemed exceptional from the beginning. Not only can it use a Flamethrower attack, but I believe that it should be able to produce a Barrier technique to protect itself from harm. If you train Magby well, it should be quite a reliable Pokémon."_

Ron felt relieved, and at the same time impressed. When he got that Pokémon egg, he was not expecting a Pokémon capable of using powerful attacks from the start. He wanted to give his Pokémon a bit of time to grow before he used it in battle. According to Nurse Joy, he would be able to use his new Pokémon in battle after two weeks of perfect health.

Samantha led Ron and Max to a table in the cafeteria, where they took the time to catch up on what had happened since they had last seen each other. She informed them that she had earned another badge, this time taking on the gym leader of Celadon City. Ron was impressed at how quickly she seemed to get around the Kanto Region, but she just smiled and said that it was just good motivation on her part.

"_That was pretty interesting how Nurse Joy said Magby could fight in two weeks," _remarked Max.

"_Do you think it has something to do with Pokémon in the wild having to make it alone from early life onward?" _inquired Samantha.

"_Makes sense to me. It must be in a Pokémon's nature to develop quickly, unlike humans who need to be cared for throughout childhood."_

Ron sighed. _"You know what? I feel really out of place with all you intellectual people and your knowledge of Pokémon."_

Both Max and Samantha let out a laugh when Ron said this. As Max caught his breath, he said that he would rather have Ron's seemingly inborn ability to battle than his knowledge any day of the week. Samantha said nothing, but if she would have it probably would have something to do with her ability to battle and her knowledge. She was never one of those type of people, so she kept her mouth shut.

Following a quick meal, Samantha departed from the Pokémon Center, saying that she had to go check some stuff out at the Pokémon Tower. The tower was known as the final resting spot for most Pokémon in the Kanto Region, so it was only fitting that trainers would eventually visit the place. Ron had heard rumors that Team Rocket had been the cause of many graves.

"_We really should book a room for the night," _advised Max. Ron agreed with him.

Nurse Joy happily handed them a key to one of the rooms on the second floor, which they made their way to in order to drop their supplies off. It was their intention to visit the Pokémon Tower, but before that, they wanted to get an idea of what this town was like first.

"_I hear they almost tore down the Pokémon Tower to make room for some radio tower, but as soon as they tried, the ghost Pokémon basically rioted, preventing any demolition work," _stated Max.

"_Honestly, what don't you know about?" _asked Ron.

"_Physics," _replied Max with a smile.

Walking around town did nothing to cure the boredom that the trainers were suffering from. Going to the Pokémon Tower sounded like a good idea, but then again, there really was nothing there of interest. Being the son of a psychic gym leader made Ron have a bit of an inborn dislike for ghost Pokémon, and he was afraid what his father's reaction would be if he brought one to the gym.

"_So Ron, do you wanna check out that tower? Or should we just pass through and head to Celadon City?" _asked Max.

"_Well we haven't had much in terms of battling action over the last day or so. Now that I think about it, we haven't gotten any type of action. Maybe checking out that tower would be nice. Or we could just see if Samantha is up for a battle."_

"_Yeah you'd want to see Samantha, wouldn't you?" _teased Max. Ron punched him on the shoulder immediately…and Max got the message.

Ron was relieved to see that after they walked around town for two hours, Samantha had finished her business at the tower. She was walking near the Pokémon Center when Ron and Max approached her. She smiled and pulled a Pokeball from her handbag.

"_We haven't had a battle since the Nugget Bridge. What would you say to a quick battle right now?"_

Ron replied, _"I thought you'd never ask." _He grabbed a Pokeball from his belt, sending out his Raichu to do battle. _"You never had a chance to take on Raichu before, so I thought now would be a nice time to give you that opportunity."_

"_Then I'll give you a chance to battle a new Pokémon of mine. Vulpix, bring it to the next level!"_

"_I thought you trained poison type Pokémon?"_

"_I do, but this Vulpix was just too cute to pass up."_

"_Cute isn't always enough," _warned Ron. _"Show her what I mean Raichu. Give Vulpix a sample of your Thunderbolt attack!"_

"_Dodge and use a Quick Attack."_

Vulpix leapt into the air, avoiding the stream of electricity. It then dived down towards Raichu at full speed. A trail of white light followed the fire Pokémon. Raichu took the attack head on, which was something Ron hoped it would.

The fire Pokémon twitched as it felt the aftermath of the attack. Raichu's electrically charged fur paralyzed Vulpix, rendering it helpless. Ron ordered a Mega Punch attack, sending Vulpix flying. He grinned, knowing that was the easiest way for the fire type to move after it had suffered from Raichu's static ability.

"_You have to get up Vulpix," _pleaded Samantha. _"I know you can do it."_

She felt relieved as her Pokémon stood on four legs again. The Paralysis still had an effect, but for the time being, a counterattack was possible. Vulpix let loose a stream of fire much more intense than the one Magby had used on Gastly. Raichu felt the full force of the heat, which was almost more than it could bear. As flashbacks from Ron's battle with Growlithe kicked in, he knew he had to end this quick.

"_Give it all you've got! Use a Thunderbolt on Vulpix!"_

Vulpix collapsed, unable to continue the fight. Through the pain, Raichu was able to muster a smile. It had overcome a powerful fire type, which was something it had been unable to do back on the S.S. Anne.

"_You did a good job Vulpix. I'm proud of you." _Ron's rival reached in her bag for yet another Pokeball. Her second Pokémon was the Gastly that he had gone up against before. _"You're up by one, but we'll make this a best two out of three battle."_

"_Return Raichu. You did a great job there." _Ron pulled out another Pokeball, sending out his Spearow. He felt as though his flying Pokémon needed to get payback for the last time it had gone up against the ghost Pokémon that floated before it.

"_This is going to be a nice rematch," _said Samantha, acknowledging the bird Pokémon that had battled her in the past. _"We'll start off with Hypnosis, alright Gastly?"_

The ghost Pokémon nodded, emitting waves from its eyes that would put Spearow to sleep in an instant. Ron thought of a way out. He ordered his Pokémon to close its eyes, allowing the waves to pass over it without doing a thing.

"_Max came up with that idea. Now go on the offensive with a Mirror Move technique."_

Spearow copied Gastly's attack. The ghost was not expecting to have its attack basically thrown back at it, so there was no avoiding the inevitable sleep that it drifted into. Ron saw a chance to end the fight, so he ordered his Spearow to follow up the Mirror Move with a Steel Wing attack. Unlike the normal moves that Spearow relied on, Steel Wing dealt damage to Gastly. The ghost Pokémon woke up almost immediately after being attacked.

"_Counter with Shock Wave attack!" _commanded Samantha, knowing that the attack would hit without fail.

Ron's Pokémon cried out in pain before crashing to the ground in defeat. He had concern for his Pokémon, who now had lost three battles in a row to his rivals. More importantly, Spearow had lost twice to the same Pokémon. He was not expecting an electric attack, but as a trainer he should always expect what is least expected.

"_Looks like this next match decides the winner, eh Ron?" _taunted Samantha. She recalled her Gastly back and chose a third Pokémon to do battle. _"It's time to do battle my old friend. Come on out Nidorina!"_

The baby blue poison Pokémon had done battle with Ron in the past. His Bulbasaur was able to finish off Nidorina, but he was not willing to take that chance twice in a row. She had never seen his Kingler before, so this felt like a fitting time to use his large crab Pokémon against his rival.

"_I'd like to introduce you to my Kingler," _said Ron as he threw out the Pokeball that held his third Pokémon. _"I caught this one off the Cerulean Cape. In fact, I captured it not too long after you departed from us."_

"_I'd like to see how it does in battle. Nidorina, we'll start with a Poison Sting attack!"_

"_Defend yourself with Harden, and then counter Nidorina with your Bubblebeam attack!"_

Kingler strengthened its body, bracing itself for the sharp, poisonous needles that were launched in its direction. The crab Pokémon had strong defensive characteristics, which protected it from the poison. A rapid assault of bubbles was fired at Nidorina, who took the attack hard. The water seeped into the poison Pokémon's fur, slowing it down considerably.

"_This isn't over yet. Use your Toxic attack on Kingler."_

"_Evade the poison, and then counter with Crabhammer."_

Some sort of purple poison was sent Kingler's way, and the crab Pokémon did its best to get out of the way. The efforts were in vain, however, and the crab was covered in a foreign substance that seeped through the shell of Kingler. Ron could tell the poison was wearing down his Pokémon, so he hoped Crabhammer would end it. He held his breath as Kingler collided with Nidorina.

"_Pull yourself together Nidorina. We won't lose this easily. Fight back by biting down on Kingler."_

Kingler, who was already suffering from poison, now had a large Pokémon clamped onto the large claw it had used to strike the beast. Thinking quickly, Ron thought of a simple solution to the problem his Pokémon had.

"_Use Crabhammer once more, but this time you have to slam downward with the claw Nidorina has itself locked onto."_

"_Nooooooo," _cried Samantha as her most precious Pokémon was thrown into the ground. As it slipped off into unconsciousness, it loosened its grip on Ron's Pokémon. She recalled her Pokémon, told it how proud she was, and placed the Pokeball in her bag.

Ron approached his rival, _"That was a damn good battle if I ever saw one. You really are a talented Pokémon trainer, and I feel honored to get to call you my rival."_

"_Likewise," _said Samantha.

The two trainers looked at each other for a few moments, which felt like hours to Max. Deep down he was happy for his friend, but at the same time he hated these lame little romantic moments between people with obvious attraction for each other.

Once she was out of earshot, Max made a little joke he would soon regret. _"So why didn't you kiss her back there? You know she wanted you to."_

With that, Ron chased Max literally to the edge of town. Once there, he stopped chasing his friend. _"I feel as though I got the message across to you," _said Ron, clapping Max on the back.

"_You know it buddy. But I was sort of serious at the same time. The two of you like each other. It's a shame constant traveling makes relationships difficult."_

With that thought in mind, the two trainers took off for Celadon City. They would pass through let another underground path, one that would take them under Saffron City for a second time. Ron would eventually make it to his city of birth, but until then he had a badge to win at the Celadon City gym.

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**Notes:**

- Bit longer of a chapter. Spring break is great for catching up on fan fiction writing that I couldn't do in the past.

- The gym battle might come sooner than I originally planned. The next two chapters should include Team Rocket, but after that, I should be at the point where I feel a gym battle is in order.

- Reviews are always appreciated.


	17. High Stakes in Celadon! Part 1

**Chapter 17**

**High Stakes in Celadon! Part 1**

"_Celadon City….it's a great place. Too many people for my tastes though," _said Max.

"_It doesn't surprise me that you'd say that. You grew up in Pallet Town and their population can't be more than 4,000," _Ron pointed out.

It took Ron and Max a bit of time to reach the city. By the time they had arrived at the Pokémon Center, it was already 7 pm. They rented a room for the week, since they intended on staying in the city for a bit of time. The tall skyscrapers and flashing billboards lured them into this city of wonder.

The first place they wanted to see was the Celadon Department Store, but they really only went there so they could say they did. Neither trainer had any interest in shopping, though the Pokémon merchandise was interesting to say the least.

"_I'm feeling a hole burning in my pocket. Maybe we should hit up the Game Corner in the city, gamble a bit and have some fun?" _asked Ron with the slightest grin on his face.

"_Sure why not?" _replied Max, realizing that it would be a lot more fun than hanging around a shopping mall for the rest of the day.

They walked through the sliding doors of the Game Corner with coin cases in hand. They were fortunate that a man outside the casino was offering free cases for that day only otherwise they would most likely require some additional funds to purchase a case. Ron and Max glanced around, noting the multiple flashing machines and people either jumping for joy or sobbing over their intense losses.

"_Hey Ron, do you see that man over there in the corner? The one standing against the wall," _said Max, pointing to a man wearing all black.

"_Doesn't that apparel seem familiar to you? Almost like you've seen it before…maybe in Pewter City, Mt. Moon, the Nugget Bridge, or the Vermillion City Daycare?"_

"_That sounds about right. You question him, and I'll follow your lead," _said Max, prodding his friend along.

The man turned around as soon as he heard the footsteps approaching from his side. He took one look at the trainers before it hit him. They were the two kids that had been mentioned at the last Team Rocket Grunt Performance meeting. The boss had put a huge bounty on their heads. If he were to catch them, he would get a huge promotion and a cash bonus.

Ron decided to speak first. _"Hey buddy, what are you doing here by yourself?" _he asked. He sensed that trouble might start; he had one hand in place to quickly grab a Pokeball.

"_Who wants to know?" _asked the man, clearly frustrated but at the same time attempting to keep his temper in check.

"_I want to know. You look familiar from somewhere? Could it be you're a member of Team Rocket?"_

And that was the straw that broke the camel's back. _"That's it! You punks are going down, and once I turn your sorry asses in to my boss, I'll be an Executive."_

He hurled a Pokeball in Ron's direction, nearly hitting him in the head. Ron looked behind himself to see a small blue bat Pokémon fluttering in the air. It was a Zubat….Ron was not surprised at all. He knew how he would handle this.

"_Spearow, prepare to engage!" _he shouted, sending his bird Pokémon out of its Pokeball to cause some hell.

Max decided he would join in too. _"Hey Butterfree, you might as well fight too!"_

"_Two on one isn't fair," _complained the Rocket. _"Come on out Raticate, join the fight."_

The second Pokémon sent out was a rat Pokémon, standing about two feet tall. It had brown fur and large fangs. Ron was not really sure what to think about the huge rat, other than the fact that he had to take it down.

"_Raticate, use Super Fang on Butterfree! Zubat, use Supersonic on Spearow!"_

"_Avoid contact with the attack, and then follow up with an Aerial Ace attack. You can do it Spearow!"_

"_Alright Butterfree, let's see how Raticate likes being caught in midair. Use Confusion attack!"_

Spearow managed to avoid the sound waves being emitted by Zubat. Aerial Ace always hits without fail, so Ron did not have to worry much for accuracy on the part of his Pokémon. Butterfree had not been in too many combat situations since evolving, therefore the Confusion attack it unleashed was only enough to hold back Raticate, not put the hurt on it.

"_You're gonna have to do better than that if you want to beat me. This time we won't give you a chance to react. Raticate, use Quick Attack to knock Butterfree off balance, and then give it a Hyper Fang. Zubat, Wing Attack on Spearow!"_

Ron could tell the Grunt was aiming to take down Butterfree first, and he would not let that happen. _"Spearow, it's time to change targets! Mirror Move to copy Quick Attack, and then follow up a Fury Attack. Show no mercy."_

"_You have to switch targets as well Butterfree. Prevent Zubat from moving by using a Stun Spore."_

Raticate landed a hit on Butterfree, rushing towards the flying Pokémon at full speed. It never had the chance to follow up with Hyper Fang, as Spearow swept in from the left to strike it with a copied Quick Attack. The bird Pokémon continued its assault, pummeling Raticate with blow after blow. Zubat hit into Butterfree, having changed targets as soon as Spearow began to attack Raticate.

"_Looks like your Butterfree is finished," _taunted the Grunt as he pointed to Butterfree, who had just collapsed to the floor.

Ron wondered why no one paid attention to this little battle in the back of the Game Corner. He decided that either the noise from the machines drowned out battle cries or people naturally ignored the struggle going on and focused in on their gambling efforts. The thought made him laugh a bit on the inside, but on the outside he had to focus on two Pokémon now.

As Spearow was attacking Raticate, the large rat Pokémon slipped off into unconsciousness. Ron's bird Pokémon was definitely getting more powerful, as on several recent occasions it had managed to either take down an opponent or hold its own for a respectable amount of time.

"_Dammit! This isn't over just yet kid," _yelled the Grunt as he recalled his Raticate to its Pokeball. _"You can still win Zubat. Take a bite out of Spearow!"_

"_Get out of the way Spearow! A bite from Zubat is sure to be painful. Once you avoid the attack, follow up with a Steel Wing attack. End this!"_

Spearow avoided Zubat by about an inch, putting it in perfect position to end the battle. Its wings glowed with energy like it had many times in the past. It quickly struck Zubat with its right wing, causing the bat Pokémon to fall down to the hard ground. The Grunt appeared to be in shock, thinking that he could handle two trainers at a time.

Before leaving, he did mention some interesting information to the two trainers who had caused him so much trouble. _"I'll give you a hint. Our secret base in this city can be found right here at the Game Corner. And until I see you two again, remember that Team Rocket is the best!"_

"_Yeah….right," _responded Ron. _"You did great Spearow. I'm really impressed with how you've been battling lately." _His Pokémon let out a cry of happiness.

Max, on the other hand, did not look pleased with how he did. _"If I was a better trainer, Butterfree wouldn't have been hurt back there." _Ron tried to assure his friend that it was no one's fault, which was a fact Max quickly accepted.

"_So, you think we should try to find this base?" _asked Ron.

"_That sounds like a job for the police, but you know what? We're Pokémon trainers. We can handle anything those Rockets send our way."_ Max began to look around the wall the Rocket had been standing near, searching for clues that might lead them to where they wanted to go.

They both did a bit of investigation, completely forgetting the initial reason they wanted to visit the Game Corner. Having fun decimating their entire funds would be a great time, but taking down Team Rocket was much more important. How two young trainers could manage to take down an entire organization is something they did not even want to consider as an impossible feat, after all, they had done it twice before.

"_It's gotta be around here somewhere," _stated Max.

"_What about this poster on the wall? The one that Grunt seemed to be interested in."_

"_It's an ad for the Pokémon League competition, maybe he was interested in earning badges?"_ said Max, soon realizing how dumb his suggestion actually sounded.

Ron rolled his eyes, but still started poking the poster with his finger. It would not take a genius to notice the bit of the poster sticking out from the wall, but Ron missed that small feature for a few seconds. Max pointed it out to him, making his friend feel stupid. Before tearing down the poster, Ron glanced around to see if anyone was looking. As soon as he felt he was safe to do so, he tore the poster right off the wall and smashed it into a little ball.

"_Think this is what we're looking for?" _asked Max. There was a small switch on the wall. Team Rocket probably had put the poster up to hide it, but how in the world did they set up some elaborate base in the Game Corner without anyone knowing?

Ron flipped the switch. _"It wasn't gonna do it on its own," _he reasoned.

Mechanisms began to move somewhere within the wall. About two feet over from the switch, the walls began to shift, revealing a small passageway. A long flight of steps appeared to lead to the center of the earth, but Ron and Max figured it housed an entire secret basement of the Game Corner. Instead of considering what bad things could happen to them, they walked right down into the unknown. They did not know it at the time, but a mysterious figure had been watching them in the shadows, observing their every move.

"_At least these steps were safe," _said Max as he reached the bottom. Ron was right behind him, making sure they were not being followed by anyone. They had no clue how to close the passageway.

"_Where do we go from here? I want to be a hero again, but doesn't that mean we should have come up with a plan to begin with. A course of action maybe? A strategy?"_

"_I get your point, Ron. We're just here to scout the place out, and then we can report what we find to the police. They take it from there. I really don't think two kids are capable of undoing an entire organization hell bent on taking over the world as we know it."_

A camera was picking up their every movement, alerting Team Rocket that intruders had come into their base. Six Rocket Grunts made their way to the location of Ron and Max, who had begun to wander down a hallway to the left of the entrance, trying to figure out exactly what was going on.

"_Hey Max…do you hear footsteps?" _asked Ron.

Before he could be given a response, half a dozen Grunts made their way into the hallway. They surrounded Ron and Max, making sure there was no way the young trainers could make an escape. Each Grunt held a Pokeball in their hand for a few moments before unleashing the monsters upon the intruders.

"_Raichu, Bulbasaur, Spearow, Kingler…I need your help!" _yelled Ron, throwing four Pokeballs into the fray.

"_Charmander, you can help out too!" _cried Max, wishing that he could send out as many Pokémon as Ron did.

The Grunt's choices of Pokémon consisted of two Voltorb, two Koffing, a Raticate, and a Zubat. They were beginning to show Ron and Max a trend of what Pokémon they liked using in battle, a fact that was quickly noted by Max.

"_We can take on whatever you dish out!" _threatened Ron. _"Raichu, use Thunderbolt. Bulbasaur, use Razor Leaf. Spearow, use Steel Wing. Kingler, use Bubblebeam. Hit whoever you can!"_

"_Charmander, give those Rockets a taste of your Flamethrower attack! Give it all you've got!"_

Pokémon on both sides fought as hard as they could. Raichu's electric prowess proved to be too much for Zubat, while Bulbasaur and Kingler managed to hurt just about every Pokémon with their attacks. Spearow went right for the Gastly, demonstrating its intense hate for the ghost Pokémon. Max's Charmander managed to land a hit on the Raticate.

The two Voltorb fought back at Spearow, eliminating the flying Pokémon with two powerful Thunderbolt attacks. Gastly used Hypnosis on Bulbasaur, putting the grass Pokémon to sleep. The Koffing filled the area with smog, while Raticate missed with Hyper Fang on Raichu.

"_Spearow, Bulbasaur, you did well. Return for a nice rest," _said Ron, recalling two of his Pokémon.

The current situation looked grim for Ron and Max. They had only managed to take out one of the Grunt's Pokémon. Raichu, Kingler, and Charmander remained to face off against two Voltorb, a Raticate, a Gastly, and two Koffing.

"_It's time to focus more on targets. Raichu, hit Raticate with a Thunderbolt attack, and then follow up with Mega Punch. Kingler, use Crabhammer on one of the Voltorb."_

"_Help Kingler out, use Flamethrower on one of the Voltorb as well," _commanded Max.

The Grunts shouted their own commands. Raichu missed with Thunderbolt, but collided with Raticate, who was using another Hyper Fang attack. Both of the Pokémon were knocked out. Kingler took out one of the Voltorb before the other eliminated the crab with a Thunderbolt, much like when Spearow went down. Charmander finished off the other Voltorb before the smog emitted from Koffing did it in.

The two Grunts with remaining Pokémon smiled, as they saw neither intruder reach for another Pokeball. Ron and Max prepared for the worst, but they were in for a surprise when commands were given from the distance.

"_Wartortle, use Aqua Jet on one of the Koffing. Pidgeotto, knock down the other one with a Wing Attack!"_

Both Koffing were knocked to the ground, spelling the end for all six of the Grunts. After all Pokémon were recalled, the Grunts immediately ran off. Clearly Team Rocket was not good at planning, as they only gave their Grunts one Pokémon each most of the time, with the rare exception having two Pokémon.

"_I really deserve a thank you. You two don't even want to imagine where you would be without me," _said Vincent as he emerged from the darkness.

-----------------------------------------------

**Notes:**

- Vincent returns again. I initially planned to have him make an appearance in Lavender Town, but instead opted to give Samantha another appearance.

- This is the first two-part portion of this series. The second part will mark the return of the Rocket Executive that attacked Ron and Max on Nugget Bridge.

- The gym battle will be coming shortly, most likely in chapter 19. There should be another change on Ron's team coming up. Hint: not an evolution. Another hint: he has 5 Pokémon at the current time.


	18. High Stakes in Celadon! Part 2

**Chapter 18**

**High Stakes in Celadon! Part 2**

"_How the hell did you get down here?" _exclaimed Ron.

"_I kinda stalked you guys down here. Take offense to it or not, but I bailed you out of a lot of shit right there." _

Max quickly intervened, saying, _"There's no reason for the two of you to fight like this. If we work as a team, maybe we can stop the Rockets here."_

"_Yeah…three teenagers have a chance against Team Rocket. Look at our situation Max, your Pokémon are taken out, all I've got is a baby Magby, and even if Vincent has a full team, it'll still be an uphill battle."_

"_As much as I hate to agree with Ron, he's right. However, I think I have the cure for our little Pokémon problem." _Vincent reached into his backpack for a small machine. Ron noticed it at once as the type of machine installed at every Pokémon Center in the world.

"_Is that the prototype portable Pokémon Center I've heard so much about," _said Max, jumping up and down from excitement.

Vincent grinned, replying, _"It sure is. I was given it as a gift from the president of Sliph Co. himself." _

Ron and Max placed their Pokeballs into the machine, which had room for the six Pokeballs they had with them. Within a matter of minutes, the stamina of their Pokémon was restored back to perfect health. Instead of spending time staring at technology, they replaced the Pokeballs onto their belts and discussed their plan of action.

Vincent showed his rival a small blue card. _"It's a key card used by the Rockets. I beat the shit out of this Grunt in the city for this thing, so I believe it's legit. It should give us immediate access to the lower floors of this facility. I'm sure that's where the big boss is."_

"_And why are you so sure of that?" _said Ron with a hint of skepticism in his voice.

"_You ever play a video game before?" _asked Vincent in a condescending voice. _"It's the same concept. The big bad boss fight always seems to take place in the deepest, darkest part of the dungeon. Just acknowledge that I'm correct, follow orders, and we'll be just fine."_

Ron knew if he continued this conversation, he would most likely attempt to knock his rival flat on the ground. For the time being, he would put up with the asshole, as long as it meant he could finish off Team Rocket in the end.

Deep in the confines of the secret headquarters, a shadowy man received an update on the break-in. _"I…I apologize for what's happened here. I promise that I will deal with these intruders on my own. I've faced two of them before…they should be easy enough to take down."_

A slight grin formed on the aging face of the man who called the shadow home. _"This is excellent news. However, if you fail me, it will be you who pays the price…"_

The man stood up, never leaving the shadows. He opened a Pokeball, releasing one of his Pokémon to do his bidding. _"Teleport me out of here, right now. I am in no condition to do battle."_

In seconds, the man vanished into thin air, leaving the executive to handle Ron, Max, and Vincent. The sliding doors that separated the room from the hallway opened, allowing the man to stop out and into the well-light hallway. He would await the young trainers here, knowing that they would make their way down the elevator and into the heart of the basement.

Peering around a corner, Ron noticed two Rocket Grunts standing guard near what appeared to be an elevator door. He held up two fingers in the direction of his comrades, who nodded in response.

"_So how do we deal with them?" _whispered Max.

"_Why not put them to sleep? Between Butterfree and Bulbasaur we have enough Sleep Powder to take out two trainers," _suggested Ron.

Vincent rolled his eyes. _"Do the two of you always take the easy way out? You remind me of my father, always thinking that knocking your opponent to sleep was a great strategy. We should battle these Grunts for experience."_

"_That would risk the safety of our Pokémon. If we want to take on the boss of this place, we'd best keep our Pokémon in good condition."_

"_Fine…have it your way you coward." _

Ron and Max grabbed the Pokeballs they needed, sent out their Pokémon, and quietly issued commands. Neither Grunt had time to react to the attack, as blue powder swept across them, lulling them to sleep.

"_Well done Bulbasaur."_

"_That's showing them who's in charge Butterfree."_

Vincent pushed the unconscious bodies aside before sliding the key card into a slot next to the elevator door. The sliding doors released, revealing a roomy elevator. Once they were inside, it was time to plan.

"_We're on the 1__st__ floor of this place. The 2__nd__ and 3__rd__ floor appear insignificant, but the 4__th__ floor is labeled 'Research Lab' and the 5__th__ is listed as the 'Office.' I'll handle the office, while the two of you check out these labs," _commanded Vincent.

"_Who put you in charge?" _asked Ron.

"_I thought we would be working together," _sighed Max as he gave in to Vincent's commands, not wanting to piss the violent trainer off.

"_Deal with it," _ordered Vincent as he pushed the buttons for both the 4th and 5th floors.

The door slid open for the 4th floor. Despite last second complaints by Ron and Max, he pushed both trainers out of the elevator, assuring them that he could handle whatever Team Rocket threw his way. A nervous feeling hit the pit of his stomach as the elevator closed, taking him towards the office of one vengeful Team Rocket Executive.

"_I can't believe how stupid Vincent can be," _muttered Ron he made his way down the hallway. _"Does he really think he can take on a high-ranking Team Rocket member on his own?"_

"_If my memory serves me well, you managed to fight quite well against that Muk at the daycare," _reminded Max.

"_None the less, if I hear one freaking explosion from the next floor down, it's game time. We rush downstairs to help Vincent, no matter how much of an asshole he is."_

It was a short walk to the office for Vincent, who was greeted by a tall man wearing a trench coat. This was in fact the same man who had given Ron trouble on the Nugget Bridge. There was no gym leader to bail Vincent out of any potential trouble, but none the less he showed no fear.

"_Where are the others?" _barked the Executive, clearly frustrated by the lack of Ron or Max.

"_I didn't need them, and I don't need to waste my time talking to you. I'm here to take down the big boss of this establishment."_

"_You certainly are a disrespectful bastard. I am the big boss here, at least at the time being. My boss had more important matter to attend to than three punk ass teenagers."_

"_You talk a big game, but let's see how you do in battle," _said Vincent, immediately sending out his Wartortle to do battle.

The Executive said nothing in return to Vincent's remark. Instead, he reached for a Pokeball containing a large bat Pokémon…a Golbat. This large blue bat had a huge open mouth, capable of biting down on just about any Pokémon. Its wingspan was much larger than that of its pre-evolved form, Zubat.

"_Use a Water Gun attack!"_

"_Dodge and use a Razor Wind attack!"_

Meanwhile, Ron and Max were exploring the seemingly empty lab. They did not know it, but earlier that day, most of the researchers in this lab had been moved to another location. The lack of resistance gave the two trainers a sense of security that they had not felt since entering this secret underground headquarters.

"_What Pokémon do you think they studied here?" _asked Max.

"_Just about any they could steal, most likely," _responded Ron, who was familiar with the Team Rocket way. He never enjoyed reading much, but what he did read had to do with the history of crime in Kanto. For some reason it interested him to the point where he would spend hours reading book after book.

"_Think we should free these Pokémon?"_

"_According to those computers, the Pokeballs in this facility are empty," _said Ron, pointing to computer screens above each table of Pokeballs, which indicated what the contents of each Pokeball was.

Three tables down, Max found a computer screen that indicated a Pokémon was still in this facility.

"_Well it says here that an Abra is being stored in Pokeball C5. Think we should take it with us?"_

Ron glanced at the screen, confirming what his friend had said. There was one Pokémon left on this floor, perhaps left by mistake. He scanned the information for this particular Pokémon, noting that it knew how to use an Ice Punch attack.

"_It knows Ice Punch. That could come in handy for my next gym battle," _said Ron, referring to the fact that his next gym opponent trained grass Pokémon.

"_I don't see anyone stopping you, but you should consider the fact that this Pokémon might not be used to a decent trainer," _stated Max.

"_I have reason to believe my Spearow was owned by Team Rocket at some point, but it appears to be quite fine. Your concern is appreciated, but not necessary."_

"_Hey, whatever you say. It's your decision and besides, shouldn't you know a lot about psychic type Pokémon?"_

"_Yeah in theory, but none of that stuff seems to hold true in practice. Only time will tell." _Ron reached for the Pokeball, his hand shaking with excitement. He finally had a psychic type Pokémon of his own.

One floor down, Vincent stared down the Executive who he had been doing battle with. Wartortle put up a good fight against Golbat, but could not take down a Magneton. The powerful electric Pokémon was defeated at the hands of a fire type Growlithe, but it was Arbok who put the Executive back in the battle, finishing off Growlithe and Pidgeotto in quick sucession.

"_I'll give you some credit. You're a talented Pokémon trainer, but you're no match for the might of Team Rocket, especially an Executive." _The man laughed, seeing victory in his sights. _"Do you want to surrender now and hand over your Pokémon, or are you going to continue with this pointless struggle?"_

"_Last time I checked, I still had Pokémon left to battle with. This isn't over by a long shot!" _shouted Vincent, reaching for a fourth Pokeball. His final Pokémon was the powerhouse Rhyhorn, a large rhino Pokémon made entirely of rock.

"_Isn't that interesting? The boss has a Pokémon just like that, but a bit bigger…and evolved. This should be easy." _He paused a moment before giving his cobra Pokémon a command, pondering on what attack he should use in this situation.

"_While he's thinking, let's use an attack of our own. Tackle into Arbok at full speed!"_

"_Evade that oaf, and then fight back. Use an Aqua Tail attack!"_

Vincent winced as his rhino Pokémon was nailed in the horn by Arbok, who had channeled water energy into its tail. He pleaded with his Pokémon to continue fighting, which it was more than happy to do.

"_Super effective or not, it'll take a lot more than that to finish off my Rhyhorn."_

The sound of Rhyhorn hitting the floor was heard from the confines of the lab, one floor up. As soon as Ron heard the noise, he turned to Max, who nodded. They quickly found stairs that led to the 5th floor. Peering around the corner and hoping to be unseen, Ron took note of the battle situation.

Rhyhorn was withstanding attack after attack, but was unable to land a blow on the slick snake Pokémon. The need to be a hero overtook Ron, who threw his fear of snakes out the window. He reached for a Pokeball, sending out his newest Pokémon.

The yellow and brown psi Pokémon appeared to be sleeping, but Ron knew better. He whispered commands to Abra, who responded by saying its name. Ron assumed that it agreed to the plan, as the psi Pokémon disappeared from sight.

"_What did you tell it to do?" _asked Max.

"_Just watch and see. I've always wanted to try this kind of tactic before."_

Abra reappeared behind the Rocket Executive, who was completely unaware of the new presence in the room. Vincent took notice of the psi Pokémon standing up behind his opponent, but managed to mask his reaction of shock.

"_God dammit!" _swore the Executive loudly. _"What the hell was that?!" _

The Executive's entire back was covered in ice, as the blow from Abra had done its job. He turned around to see what the cause of his sudden pain was, only to see that nothing was behind him. It was only when Ron shouted over to the man that he realized what happened.

"_So you've decided to show your face. You even brought along that Abra. I guess a pathetic Pokémon deserves a pathetic trainer, just like that Spearow we tried to teach Steel Wing to earlier."_

This confirmed Ron's suspicion that his bird Pokémon had been artificially taught that attack. He reached for Spearow's Pokeball. _"Allow me to reacquaint you with Spearow and its Steel Wing attack!"_

An angry Pokémon rushing towards the Executive was the perfect distraction. Arbok was at a loss; it did not have its trainer to order it around in battle. Rhyhorn charged at the cobra, finally landing a critical blow. The Pokémon fell towards its trainer, intercepted the Steel Wing attack intended for the man, not the cobra.

Ron walked towards the man, Spearow and Abra at his side. _"Let this be a lesson to you. Don't teach Pokémon unique attacks and abandon them, then expect them to forget the whole situation."_

"_I don't need any lecture from a kid," _grunted the Executive, crushed under the weight of his own Pokémon, who he was quick to recall to its Pokeball.

"_It's over for you," _claimed Vincent. _"You have no Pokémon left, while we've got plenty of firepower at our disposal. You might as well surrender. I've called the police, who should be on their way soon."_

He turned his attention to Ron and Max, stating, _"The two of you can go about your own business if you want to. I can take it from here."_

"_Remember what happened last time we split up? Last time I checked, we had to bail your ass out."_

"_You've got me Ron. Looks like you can wait along with me. We'll see that justice prevails…together." _Ron thought he saw a slight smile form on the face of his normally cruel looking rival.

It was not very long before the police arrived. They arrested the executive, informing the young trainers that he had been wanted for a long time. Ron felt proud that what he did brought about a change for the better. Now a Rocket Executive was taken out of commission, but he felt as though putting the man in custody would only serve as a temporary situation.

Once they had been questioned about the situation, Vincent parted from Ron and Max, mentioning that he had urgent business to attend to in Saffron City, namely a gym battle.

Ron and Max made their way back to the Pokémon Center, where they had booked a two person room for the week. An immediate problem they notice was that one bed was a double, while the other was a twin sized. Without hesitation, Max rushed towards the larger of the two beds.

"_Catching that Abra was smooth," _said Max, stretching out on the double bed. _"Now that you have an Abra that knows Ice Punch, I take it you have two locks against Erika?"_

"_That sounds about right," _responded Ron. _"Spearow and Abra have the moves to put the battle in their favor. If only we could hold up for a bit longer, and then maybe Magby could join in the fight. I'll decide between Raichu and Bulbasaur for my third Pokémon."_

Ron got no response, as Max fell asleep rather quickly. Not wanting to wake his friend, Ron closed his eyes to rest up for the next day, one that would certainly be filled with training.

-----------------------------------------------

**Notes:**

- Pointless training episode is pointless. Next chapter will include the gym battle.

- Vincent is a good guy after all, but still an asshole. He caught a Rhyhorn too.

- Ron gets an Abra, which ties in with his family heritage. Can't see it dealing the final blow to Erika with just Teleport and Ice Punch, though.

- Chapter 19 should be finished before the end of this week. Spring break is ending, which means I'm going to slow down writing yet again. I have an exam on Friday. _


	19. Messing with Flower Power

**Chapter 19**

**Messing with Flower Power**

One week had passed since Ron and Max entered the Game Corner for an unintended battle with Team Rocket. Instead of enjoying what wonder Celadon City had to offer, the two trainers took off for the outskirts of the city each day to train. This particular day was just like the rest.

"_Butterfree, sweep Magby away with a Gust attack!"_

"_Pull up a Barrier to protect yourself."_

Ron's young fire Pokémon produced a purple shield, keeping the powerful wind from harming the Pokémon encased inside. The effects of the attack were easy to see; however, as fallen leaves danced in the air momentarily.

"_Set the leaves on fire with Flamethrower!"_

He did not take into consideration that the leaves could be damp from the morning dew, but none the less Ron ordered his Pokémon to engulf nature in flames. The few leaves that set on fire rained down upon Butterfree, harming a Pokémon who had not even been the target of the initial flames.

"_That's enough Butterfree," _said Max, who showed frustration as he kicked the dirt beneath his feet. _"You did a good job, so you deserve a long rest."_

"_That was great Magby! You really used the environment to your advantage, which could work out well for us in the Celadon Gym."_

Ron had done some research at the Pokémon Center, pouring over book after book concerning Pokémon Battles. Throughout the week, he had gained a stronger understanding of what was required of a capable trainer, though he had not been able to put this knowledge to practice in anything but quick practice battles.

Glancing up at the sky, Max noticed that the sun was beginning to set. _"I think that'll do for today," _he declared. _"You should ask Nurse Joy if she thinks Magby is ready to be in a real battle," _he added as he began to follow Ron back to the city.

They walked through the sliding glass doors of the Pokémon Center and approached the main desk. Since they had been out late, no other trainers were around. They had most likely retired for the night, quietly resting in their beds and dreaming of triumphs to come. However, Nurse Joy never seemed to rest, which was why it was no surprise that Ron found the smiling red-head standing at the desk, eager to assist.

"_Well aren't you two up late again? How'd training go today?"_

"_Thanks for asking. I think it went well, and I'm really expected a gym challenge to be on the agenda for tomorrow. And that's where my question comes in." _He paused for a moment, thinking of how he could say what was to be said.

"_Magby has been doing great lately. I know I was told in Lavender Town that I should wait at least two weeks before using my new Pokémon in battle, but do you think the progress made so far is suitable?"_

Nurse Joy responded, _"Well, I would have to get a look at Magby before I could clear it for battle. Training with newborn Pokémon is difficult, but it's in their nature to battle early on in life. Come and see me in the morning, I'll have an answer then."_

Ron was lying on his back in his bed, unable to sleep. As he stared upward into the darkness of his room, he began to run through scenarios for his gym battle tomorrow. He knew Spearow would be suitable against grass Pokémon, but beyond that he had no clear advantage. Abra's Ice Punch attack would be effective, but he had no flexibility with the psi Pokémon. If Magby was unable to participate in the fight, he planned on using his Raichu.

After a long day of training, the young trainer could think no longer. He drifted off into a deep sleep.

"_Ron! You have to wake up! It's time for your battle," _shouted Max as he shook his sleeping friend.

"_Give me a minute to wake up. You don't see me shaking you every freaking morning."_

What he said was true. Ron never woke Max up like that, but Max had a good reason to attempt this sort of wake-up. His friend had scheduled a gym battle through the Pokémon Center computer; a feat that they did not even know was possible until this week.

Glancing at the clock on the bedside table, Ron noticed that it was only an hour before his battle was supposed to begin. He immediately got a burst of energy, propelling himself out of bed and downstairs to the front desk of the Pokémon Center, where he would discuss Magby's battling potential.

They found Nurse Joy at the desk, looking half asleep. She gave a slight smile as the boys approached her.

"_Ron, I wanted to talk to you. Last night I ran some tests on your Magby. You'll be quite pleased with the results. I can clear the young Pokémon for the battle today, as long as you promise not to push it too hard."_

As he was handed his tray of Pokeballs, Ron promised to be especially careful with his young Pokémon in the gym battle. He intended on starting the battle with Abra, but Magby would be the second Pokémon he sent out in battle.

Ron shoveled down his breakfast before taking off for the Celadon City gym. At first, he would have mistaken the gym for a flower shop or greenhouse or something of that nature. It was colored a bright yellow, with multiple windows from which lush green plants crawled out of. They approached the door, which Ron immediately pulled open, allowing his friend Max entrance before him.

"_Much appreciated," _stated Max as he made his way into the gym. He was promptly greeted by drops of water from the ceiling.

As Ron noticed what was happening, he laughed. _"I guess we walked in right when they were watering the plants. That's amusing to say the least."_

From behind the foliage, a voice was heard by the two trainers. She said, _"Hello? Is someone there?"_

Ron recognized the voice right away. It was Erika, the Celadon City gym leader. He had met her three years ago when he was visiting his father in Saffron City. The gym leaders of Kanto had gathered for a meeting and entirely ignored Ron, minus Erika. She went out of her way to find the young boy and greet him. It left an impression on him that he would not soon forget.

She emerged, wearing her traditional kimono dress, colored a pale yellow and scarlet red, adorned with Pokeball symbols. Her rather short black hair was pulled back from her eyes with a headband, which matched the color of the tied portion of her dress. The pale beauty of this young gym leader was something to behold, expressed clearly by the fact that Max could not keep his eyes of her.

"_I assumed I would meet you her at some point," _said Erika softly, clearly remembering Ron from their encounter, despite that fact that it had taken place years ago.

"_I kept my promise. Don't you remember?"_

"_Of course I do. You said 'When I'm a Pokémon Trainer, I'll come to Celadon City and give you the best gym battle of your life.'"_

He gave a thumbs-up gesture, acknowledging that she had hit the nail right on the head, so to say. Not only had she made an impression on him, but he had done the same for her.

"_Please follow me. I'm certain that my younger sister Erin would be happy to be our referee."_

She led them through the lush green plants to an open portion of the gym. A dirt battlefield was clearly marked with chalk lines, indicating a side of the field for both the challenger and the leader. Various trees cast their shadows across the field, which was certainly noted by Ron. Plants had managed to grow on the battlefield, peppering it with a bit of atmosphere unlike any other gym.

"_Erin, where are you?" _questioned Erika, searching for her sister among the plant life.

A shout was returned from high in the trees. _"I'm right up here sis! You need me for something?"_

Erin leapt downward from the tree like an expert, landing cleanly in front of the battlefield, precisely where a referee would stand. She was much like her sister, though younger. Instead of wearing a traditional kimono like her sister, she wore shorts and a t-shirt. Her long, black hair flowed down her back, a long stretch from the appearance of her sister, though she still caught the eye of Max.

"_You and these nature types," _whispered Ron, rolling his eyes.

"_Oh come on. Look at you around Samantha. It's the same thing bro, but you don't see me chasing you across the city for it."_

Erika interrupted by clearing her throat. One she had their attention, she announced, _"We can begin the battle anytime you want, Ron."_

He responded by making his way to his side of the field, waiting for Erin to announce the rules for this battle.

It was not long before Erin addressed the two trainers, saying, _"This will be a three on three battle between the challenger Ron and the gym leader Erika. There will be no time limit, and only the challenger may substitute Pokémon. The battle is over when one side has no Pokémon capable of doing battle."_ She glanced to her right, and then to her left. _"Are both trainers ready?"_

Both trainers nodded as they clenched their first Pokeballs in their hands.

"_You're up first Abra! You can do it!"_

"_Tangela, I choose you!"_

Ron's yellow psi Pokémon stared down its opponent lazily. Tangela was a small grass type Pokémon which appeared to be a mess of blue vines with red shoes on. Two eyes peered outward from the vines, but that was all Ron could see.

"_Ladies first," _said Ron, gesturing to his opponent.

"_You're quite the gentleman. Tangela, slam into Abra!"_

"_Abra, get out of there! Teleport away," _commanded Ron, aware of his lack of a real movepool.

His Pokémon easily evaded the attack, disappearing in a flash. Abra reappeared behind Tangela, who immediately wrapped its vines around the psi Pokémon, who struggled to free itself. Ron recognized the danger, but noticed that the hand of his Pokémon was closely intertwined in the body of his foe.

"_Abra, charge an Ice Punch attack!"_

Ice energy formed around the right hand of his Pokémon. The freezing energy spread from Abra's fist to the body of its opponent, the grass type Tangela. The partially frozen Tangela was unable to maintain its grasp on Abra, who teleported away.

Ron saw that one attack would not be enough to end this round, so he ordered his Pokémon once more to use Ice Punch, but this time as a directed attack, not as a defensive maneuver. Tangela found it impossible to avoid the blow, the ice already on its body weighing it down. Erika soon found her Pokémon encased in ice that would not soon thaw.

Erin waved a green flag in the direction of Abra and Ron. _"Tangela is unable to battle. The match goes to Abra!"_

"_Well done," _commended Erika. She recalled her frozen Pokémon before grabbing a second Pokeball. Her new Pokémon looked familiar to Ron, but only slightly. It was almost as if this new Pokémon was Bulbasaur, if you took the bulb on the Pokémon's back and let it bloom.

"_Allow me to introduce my Ivysaur. This particular Ivysaur evolved from a Bulbasaur just last week, so I am curious as to how it performs today."_

"_I have just the Pokémon to battle it," _declared Ron, recalling his Abra to its Pokeball. _"Magby, it's your time to shine!"_

The flame-bodied Pokémon emerged from its Pokeball, immediately glancing around at its surroundings. Ron encouraged the young Pokémon, informing it that there was nothing to fear. A smile was shared between trainer and Pokémon, a reflection of the bond that had grown between Ron and Magby over the last week and a half.

"_That Magby looks young. How long have you had it?" _asked Erika.

"_Magby has only been around for a week and a half, but has been cleared for battle. We'll show you why. Show her a Flamethrower attack!"_

"_Dodge it, and then counter with a Vine Whip attack."_

Ivysaur barely avoided the flames before unleashing its vines upon Magby. The young Pokémon was struck down by the attacks, but managed to pull itself back up within moments.

"_Hang in there Magby! Use Smog to hide yourself!"_

Thick smoke engulfed the air around the battlefield. Ron assumed that it did not do much good for the plants, but that was the least of his concern at the time. The smoke was blown away quickly, and the reason was quick clear. Ivysaur had used a Razor Leaf attack over and over to clear its field of vision.

Ron was shocked to see some of the leaves had struck his young Pokémon, who doubled over in pain. He quickly recalled Magby to its Pokeball and reached for another. He would go with the type advantage here, sending out his flying Pokémon Spearow to take on Ivysaur.

"_Start off with a Peck!"_

"_It's time to brighten the atmosphere. Use Sunny Day!"_

A white beam of energy shot upward from Ivysaur's bulb. Ron had not noticed before that there was no ceiling above the battlefield, which he knew was a disadvantage from the start. The sun shone brightly onto the field, energizing Ivysaur. That did not stop Spearow from knocking the grass Pokémon to the ground with its beak.

"_Don't stop now! Follow up with a Fury Attack!"_

Ivysaur had no time to recover from the initial blow, and therefore was plummeted by Spearow over and over again. Erika knew that she had to counter quickly. Spearow retreated back to the other side of the field, but she knew that would not protect it from what was coming its way.

"_Let loose a Solar Beam attack!" _cried Erika.

"_Do the same! Use a Mirror Move to copy Solar Beam!" _yelled Ron, thinking quickly.

The two intense beams of energy collided with each other, causing a massive explosion. As the smoke cleared, it became obvious that neither Ivysaur nor Spearow could continue. Erin waved a red and green flag in the air, declaring both sides unable to battle. This left Erika with one Pokémon left, while Ron still had Abra and Magby.

"_Abra, come on back out!"_

"_Vileplume, show Ron what you can do!"_

An oddly colored Vileplume emerged from Erika's Pokeball, ready to battle. The body of this grass and poison Pokémon was a mid-shade of green, while the flower perched on its head was colored light orange and covered in white spots of various sizes.

The odds were not in Ron's favor. He had two inexperienced Pokémon left against a Pokémon who was not only well experienced, but also fully evolved. He had the advantage when it came to type matchups, which assured him a decent chance.

"_Let's end this quickly. Use a Solar Beam attack," _said Erika, taking advantage of the still bright sun.

"_Teleport away, then counter with an Ice Punch attack!"_

Abra easily teleported away in time, then managed to nail Vileplume with a super effective Ice Punch attack. Ice formed around the flower on Vileplume's head, leading to obvious pain for the Pokémon.

"_Use a Petal Dance attack while you can!" _shouted Erika.

While its foe was close, the flower Pokémon began to dance wildly, sending bright pink flowers in every direction. Not only was Ron's psi Pokémon thrashed by Vileplume's body, but it was also hit over and over again by leaves which did more damage than one would expect.

The frail psi Pokémon was finished off rather quickly, as a red flag was waved in Erika's direction. _"Abra is unable to battle! The winner is Vileplume!"_

An uneasy feeling settled in Ron's stomach. He knew that he only had one Pokémon left, a Pokémon who had only been born a week and a half ago. Magby was capable of doing battle, but he had no clue how his inexperience would come into play against Vileplume.

"_Start off with a Flamethrower attack!" _commanded Ron, hopeful that type would play into his favor.

Erika responded with silence, as her Vileplume thrashed about violently. It easily avoided the attack, causing Ron to worry. The young trainer pulled himself together; remembering what he had been taught through his countless hours spent studying battle techniques.

He took notice of the Petal Dance attack and how it spread leaves into the air. This reminded him of his training against Butterfree. He ordered yet another Flamethrower attack, but this time did not order a direct attack at Vileplume, but at the leaves flying through the air. The ignited leaves sometimes landed on Vileplume, who had begun to suffer from confusion.

"_We have to take advantage of Vileplume's confusion while we can! Use another Flamethrower attack, but this time aim for your foe, not the leaves. I know you can do it."_

Magby reared back its head, and then let loose a blaze with all its might. Vileplume was too preoccupied with bashing its head into the ground to notice the approaching flames. Once the flames overcame its foe, everyone in the room knew the battle would soon end. The grass Pokémon passed out, just moments before Magby gave it to its own exhaustion. Erin saw that Vileplume had fainted first.

"_Vileplume is unable to battle. The winner is Magby, and the match goes to Ron!"_

Ron pumped his fist before running over to his young and victorious Pokémon. Before he returned Magby to its Pokeball, he checked on his Pokémon to check if it was okay. Standing tall and proud, he walked towards a smiling Erika.

"_I knew from the moment I saw you those years ago that I would one day be doing battle with you in this gym. It is with great pride that I had you the Rainbow Badge, a symbol of your victory today. Carry it with you as a reminder of what your Pokémon did for you today."_

The badge looked like a flower, with a rainbow of color detailing the flower petals. In due time, the symbol would make its way to Ron's badge case, but for the time being he wanted to clench it in his hands…feel the victory.

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**Notes:**

- So I'm back after a bit of time. I blame college yet again. Three more weeks and I'm done, so that means I'll be writing more soon.

- I figure Celadon City will take up at least one more chapters, and then I plan on moving the series back to Lavender Town for a chapter. After that…most likely there will be a trip to the Safari Zone, taking the routes south of Lavender Town.

- A new rival will be making an appearance soon, though their ability is far above that of Ron.

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End file.
